Ride the Wild Surf
by Adri Mars
Summary: AU:: In a small beachside town of Nijibe, here is a story of a girl named Lucia, a boy named Kaito, and a surfboard... and everything else in between. #16 up--- NEED REVIEWS, THANKS!
1. A Local Summer Story

**RIDE THE WILD SURF  
a Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch Fanfiction**

by Adrimarie

**A Local Summer Story**

_Hello and welcome. Did you come here to hear my story? My name is not really that important but I do live in a small beach side town known as Nijibe where we believe that anything impossible can be possible. People come to my town in hopes of having their wishes and dreams come true; most of these wishes and dreams related to finding true love and romance. You hear those stories about summer loves? Not here in Nijibe. Here, there is no such thing as a temporary true love. When we say _true love _here in Nijibe, we really do mean eternal, pure love. Still not convinced? Well, you have come to the right place at the right time, my friend._

_Let me tell you a story of someone whom I am very close and dear to. Don't get me wrong, this person is still alive and well, but this person's particular story was one of the very talked about throughout town which made others believe that a true love like that can be possible if you would just believe in it. There were many versions, but since I happen to be someone close to this person, I know a lot more, which is why I'm glad you are here to see me. Well, the story goes like this..._

_This was a story of a girl and a boy who met at the open beach across from our neighborhood seven years ago. You see, their meeting all began with a song where the girl heard the boy sing the most beautiful melody she had ever heard in her life, all because of the angelic, pure voice that this boy brought to this song. She wanted to sing with him just to show how much she loved his natural talent but she was afraid that she would mess the song up with her not-so-talented voice. Even if that was the case, the boy still invited her to sing with him. Right then, the girl opened herself and sang her whole heart without even thinking of how good or bad she sounded. The boy smiled at her, showing his thanks for joining him at that moment._

_Just as things were getting good a storm arrived and struck the boat where the boy was standing and fell overboard. The girl swam her way to the sea to save him and was able to swim him safely to the shore. She was able to find a small rock cave nearby and she and the boy kept themselves dry over there until the storm was over. She tried desperately to wake him up but the boy would not open his eyes. She did not know what to do and was desperate to keep him alive. There was no one around for her to find help and did not want to just leave the unconscious boy behind. She held him in to her arms to keep him warm and whispered for him to open his eyes and wake up. Then she found herself falling asleep and fought the drowsiness on her own to keep herself awake. Knowing she was going to surrender to her drowsiness she decided to take a short nap. She took off a friendship bracelet that she made from her right wrist and placed it around the boy's right wrist so in case that he disappears from out of the blue that she can find him and identify him. Afterwards she unconsciously kissed the boy on his lips and then closed her eyes, crying herself to sleep._

_Next day came and the girl woke up, only to find the boy next to her missing. She got up and ran out of her small cave but the boy was nowhere to be found. She even searched around the shores to see if her friendship bracelet was dropped somewhere but she had no luck. Just as she wanted to continue her search a familiar voice called to her from afar, calling her to come home._

_The girl gave up her search and followed the voice that was calling to her. When she reached to the person who called her she sighed in sadness and told this person of her moment with that mysterious young boy from last night. The person thought that she was hallucinating and that she had been spending too much time at the ocean when there was nothing of interest there. Even if that was the case, the girl never stopped believing that the boy she sang, rescued, and spent the night with was real. She never stopped hoping and wishing that the boy whom she fell in love with briefly within will show himself to this very beach. But for now, it was time for her to go home. The person took the girl's hand and made their way back home._

_Still not convinced? Don't worry, this is just the beginning. There's a lot more to this than what I just told you. A whole lot more..._

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**

_Welcome to my very first fanfic written for the nostalgic magical girl from the beach front series, **Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch**. I've gone through both the manga series and the anime series these past few weeks and it looks like all possible gap-filler ideas for a fanfic has already been covered by none other by the creators themselves, Pink Hanamori and Michiko Yokote (if you read vol. #7's side stories, you'll see what I mean by this). I did not want to repeat myself with possible plot ideas when it's already been covered in the manga itself so I decided to do an alternate world-type of story using the characters and simply write an original story with them in it. I fell in love with all of the characters that I just had to find some ways for me to include all of them in this fic._

_There are a few notes that I would like to point out._

_#1 – I'm not an expert with the geography of Japan, but from the knowledge that I have the Shounan region not too far from Tokyo was the only place I can think of famous for its awesome beaches, its fancy beach resorts, their Boardwalk area, and the hottest surfing spots in that country. Though the name of the town/city in which Pichi Pichi Pitch took place was never mentioned in both the manga and the anime I'm pretty sure that the scenery was modeled from the Shounan area. I gave the name **Nijibe** for the town, which literally translates as "Rainbow side" (like "seaside" or "oceanside") when written in Kanji. I've forgotten the rules regarding Kanji "on/kun" readings and how to use them, so if there's anyone who has better Japanese language skills than I do, please correct me. I'd really appreciate it. ^^; I would have just went for the English name but I wasn't sure what the readers/fans prefer, so there you go._

_#2 – Keep in mind that the characters' roles have been changed for the sake of this fanfic. I don't want to "recycle" ideas being used in the original story so I'm attempting to write something different and still keep the same characteristics of the characters we know and love. There is NO form of mystical/magical girl battles thing between good and evil or anything like that, however I promise there will be lots of singing in there._

_#3 – Yes, I know you've seen in the fansubs (and in the manga too) that Nicola's spelling is "Nikora." I saw the original Japanese text and it was written in Hiragana, just like how Lucia's name was written as. Since they are both from the same kingdom (North Pacific) and that Lucia's name being Italian I thought I'd follow suit because Nicola is also an Italian name (Nicole would be the English, obviously). Besides, it kinda looks weird seeing the Nikora spelling to me is a bit out of place if she were the sister of Lucia._

_#5 – The songs were derived from the old beach/surf rock songs from the '60s since I found a lot of elements in the original manga that reminded me of those cheesy '60s teen beach movies (yes, even the mermaid & surfer boy falling in love thing was in one of those movies too). No copyright infringement intended. There's also a few words that are my originals. I could use actual Japanese beach/surf rock (The NaBs, etc.) but it'll take me forever to translate everything (and it makes no sense using the original Japanese lyrics when majority of the readers don't know the Japanese language._

_More to come, obviously!_

_**RATED T **for the the VERY mild language AND slight adult situations._

_**Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch** is © 2003 Pink Hanamori and Michiko Yokote. All songs used are © respected songwriters/owners. No copyright infringement intended._


	2. Summer of the Wild Surf

**RIDE THE WILD SURF  
a Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch Fanfiction**

by Adrimarie

**Summer of the Wild Surf  
**

Lucia Nanami stared at the school clock, counting every single second for the final bell to sound off. There was nothing else that mattered to her at this moment except that tomorrow was the first day of summer vacation. Along with that fact there was another thing that became permanently implanted in her most inner thoughts. While the teacher continued to address certain safety rules for students during the upcoming summer vacation her eyes began to drift from the teacher to a certain boy sitting a few seats slightly behind from where she was to her right side. Just as her eyes continued to scan the visual radar immediately found its target.

_One thing I love about living across the beach--- handsome, talented, and super-awesome surfer boys like you..._ Lucia shook her head quickly before her thoughts go wild like the clashing waves of the ocean not too far from their school. Instead she made up for the random thoughts with a smile on her face and turned her head forward towards their current homeroom teacher.

Just as she remained smiling she felt a tap on her right shoulder. Quickly she turned her head to find her tall, beautiful, and tomboyish friend Rina Touin smirking at her. On her hand was a small note in which Lucia picked it from her fingers. Lucia turned back around and unfolded the note from Rina. Immediately she read the written message:

_You're acting all goofy again. Are you staring at a certain hot surfer boy sitting behind me? -H_

Lucia immediately closed the note and turned her head around and found another friend of hers, the cute and posh popular girl named Hanon Houshou. It just so happened that the one Lucia's eyes targeted earlier sat behind her, completely concentrated towards the teacher. Right when Lucia found Hanon the perky popular girl winked at her.

_Oh my God... am I really that obvious? _Lucia sighed deeply and quickly wrote her response back on the same note. She wrote to Hanon that she was just looking around at random people to keep herself awake from the lengthy final lecture that the teacher was delivering at that moment. She also did not want Hanon to immediately open her big mouth and blurt everything out to to that particular boy sitting behind her. She folded the note and quickly passed it to Rina, who in turn asked a few classmates to pass it back to Hanon.

The lecture seemed as if it was going on repeat and Lucia could not take any more. She just had to burst herself out in the open and show her excitement that summer vacation finally arrived. She tightened her fist to display her impatience while at the same time continued to fight her drowsiness. Moments later Rina tapped her on the shoulder again with another note from Hanon. Lucia quickly reached her hand for the note and immediately unfolded:

_This summer is THE summer, Lucia! This year is THE year! I can just feel it in my bones. You've been crushing on him for the longest time and you still haven't had the courage to come up to him and say a simple hello. What is wrong with you, girl? The feeling that I'm talking about here is that your beloved surfer boy may come back to school with a new girlfriend and if you don't do something about that then obviously that new girlfriend isn't gonna be you! -H_

_Hanon... _Lucia's voice whispered in her mind as she lowered her head in embarrassment. _How could you be so cruel to me? You know I'm just way out of his league and you know your so-called friends aren't even going to let me even near him. Why do you say such things to me, Hanon?_

Just as Lucia was about to write her response she found her eyes targeting that particular boy again. She knew deep within that she was not a completely average person and that whenever she gets excited her conscience had the habit of singing a song particularly related to her brief moment. In fact, she can hear her conscience already singing while her eyes fixated towards the boy.

_Lately Sis was getting mad 'cause I just dream all day_

_And my friends all say my mind's a thousand miles away_

_Ever since the day I saw your face there's only one thing I'd do_

_I can't stop dreaming about you_

_Baby, dreaming about you_

Lucia quickly shook her head to eliminate the random tune and the lyrics playing within her. She had to find a way to stop her constant daydreaming or else she may get detention before they are off for the summer. _What is wrong with you, Lucia? Concentrate... concentrate..._

She lowered her head as if she was ready to fall in to a short nap. Just as she was about to she was immediately startled by a forceful voice from her left side that startled her to keep her eyes open. Just to make matters worse for Lucia she began to hum that tune from her head that distracted the teacher's lecture.

"Miss Nanami," the teacher called for her right on spot. "Last time I was told summer vacation starts tomorrow?" Right then the entire class broke in to laughter which made the daydreaming girl sink herself down her desk.

_My homeroom teacher says I don't hear a word in class_

_And if I don't wake up soon he says I might not pass_

_Every time I get you off my mind it's just for a minute or two_

_I can't stop dreaming about you_

_Baby, dreaming about you_

The bell finally rang and the students jumped from their seats looking excited for the upcoming summer vacation. Lucia, on the other hand, remained on her seat, looking more embarrassed than ever. Lucky for her she did not get a long lecture from the teacher regarding daydreaming and almost sleeping in his class. She often thought at times that sweet memories will be made just by seeing that particular boy in the same homeroom class as her but at the same time it was also a curse. She was always well-versed with her studies with the exception of math but she felt that this year became worse than the previous years even when she was not assigned to sit next to him.

Hanon and Rina came to her with their bags packed and ready for the summer break. Rina was more concerned with Lucia's behavior today while Hanon continued to snicker at the dark blond girl's daffy daydreaming. Lucia could not find any excuses for her to drift her mind away and end up in her own world.

"Lucia, this is like the fifth time you've daydreamed this entire day." Rina gave her concern as she flipped her shiny long dark hair behind her shoulders. "Are you okay?"

"Rina, isn't it obvious? She still has 'K.D.' problems like the last time," Hanon interrupted with a soft chuckle on her voice. She then turned to Lucia and shook her head. "You're hopeless, Lucia. You'll never get by school if you keep on daydreaming like that. I mean daydreaming about 'K.D.' isn't exactly abnormal if you're a student in this particular homeroom class but I think the thought of him is completely taking over your body, girl."

"I really am hopeless," Lucia sighed deeply and lowered her eyes downward. "Why? I feel like I'm cursed. I feel like I meant to fail because _he _had to be in the same class. What is fate telling me?"

Hanon took the empty seat next to the desk where Lucia sat and crossed her legs. "I'm telling you, Lucia Nanami, if you don't make a move on Kaito Doumoto this summer I can guarantee you he'll have another girlfriend by the time we get back to school in a few months. Believe me, I know from experience."

"Right," Rina snickered and rested against the edge of her desk with her arms crossed. "You being a victim of Kaito Doumoto's _one-week girlfriend _game actually gave you experience, Hanon---"

"Oh shut up, Rina!" Hanon glared immediately at the tall tomboy girl standing next to her. "So what if Lucia ends up being a _one-week girlfriend_? I mean almost every girl here would want to at least reach that level. It actually boosts up their reputation throughout the entire school. I mean the girls in this entire school would just kill themselves just to reach to at least _one-week girlfriend _status and that's more than enough for them to say _Yes! I was Kaito Doumoto's girl for one week!_ I mean, as for me I would seriously going to go for it again. I mean I got the charms, the looks, and regardless of the title I can see guys still staring at me."

Lucia quickly stood up from her seat and shook her head. "No..."

"No?" Rina wondered, gazing towards Lucia. "What's wrong?"

"I don't want to be... a _one-week girlfriend_... I'm not going to be like everyone else here, Hanon." Lucia directly responded to Hanon's advice. "I'd rather hide behind the rocks and watch him rip those wild waves with his surfboard from afar than be a _one-week girlfriend_. Even until now you still don't understand why... why Kaito Doumoto... means so much to me..."

Rina quickly looked around the classroom to be sure that no one was eavesdropping with their conversation. Then turned back to Lucia and sighed. "Lucia... don't tell me you think that Kaito is... well..."

Hanon raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "What are you talking about, Lucia? Is there something here I don't know?"

Lucia tightened her fist looking determined at her belief. "It just had to be him. I can feel it in my heart. It has to be him. If only I can just prove that it's him..."

The three girls helped Lucia pack her things and continued their conversation outside the school building. They sat at the bench underneath the trees not too far from the school entrance. Hanon felt rather ignored once Rina mentioned some statement she was not familiar with. Though she and Lucia were not friends for too long she still felt she had the right to know this piece of information Lucia told Rina about.

"Unless Lucia wants to tell you, Hanon, I'll be glad to summarize." Rina volunteered to give a summary of what Lucia was talking about earlier in relation to that certain handsome surfer boy named Kaito Doumoto whom Lucia had been pining and infatuated with for the longest time.

"It's okay, Rina," Lucia responded, "I just don't feel like talking right now. I have to shake off this embarrassment that happened earlier today. I can't believe I hummed some random song no one's going to hear ever..."

Rina giggled softly and smiled. "Alright then, Lucia. Okay Hanon, short version. When Lucia was little she was hanging out at the beach one night without telling her family about it and while she was just wondering around minding her own business she heard some kid singing some song none of us probably have heard of and Lucia got all in a trance with it. She swam--- yes, she swam--- all the way near the big boat or something just to listen to that kid sing! The kid apparently saw her and they talked for a bit giving props to their singing and then they sang together. Then a storm came and it struck the boat and the boy fell over. Lucia, being the master of the seas she is, swam all the way down to save the boy. They hid at some rocky spot somewhere at the beach to keep themselves dry until the storm ended. She tried to wake him up and when she couldn't wake him up she actually cried and gave him her friendship bracelet she made and she ended up sleeping next to him. Next morning when she woke up the boy was gone, but she never forgot how he looked like and how open he was with her that night. She vowed to look for him and ever since then she's been looking for him."

Hanon turned her head towards Lucia with an eyebrow raised. "Okay... so, in other words, you think Kaito is this kid you rescued, right?"

"It has to be him, Hanon! I mean that friendship bracelet that I placed on his wrist was my very first bracelet that I made by hand! It's an authentic Lucia Nanami friendship bracelet, don't you get it? I only put that bracelet on his wrist so I'll be able to find him when he gets lost or something." Lucia continued from where Rina left off.

"You really are a weirdo, Lucia!" Hanon giggled and shook her head. "Who the heck would swim out to the sea in the middle of a dark night just to listen to some kid singing on a boat? That's just crazy! And even on a storm? Are you some kind of a mermaid siren?"

"Hanon," Rina interrupted briefly, "with what Lucia did that night I call that true love calling to her. Okay, so what if it was just one night and all they did was sing together some song that probably she and that kid knew. I call that destiny!"

"Still! If people find out about what you did, Lucia, I can guarantee you will be the most miserable girl to live on the face of this school. And now you're hallucinating that the kid you fell in love with back then is Kaito! I know Kaito Doumoto, Lucia. He's just way too cool to sing out of the blue like that, I mean no one's really heard him sing and he wouldn't sing even if you asked him to. Plus he wears tons of bracelets and other accessories so it's kinda hard to tell which one of those bracelets he's wearing is yours. For all you know he threw away that bracelet and moved on with his life!"

Lucia sighed deeply and lowered her head. "You're probably right, Hanon. I should just give up and move on---"

Hanon stopped her from completing her statement with her head shaking in refusal. "Lucia Nanami, you didn't just say those dreadful words of _giving up_, are you?" She placed her hands on her waist and stared directly towards the hapless girl. "As a former Rainbow Pop Girl and a prominent _one-week ex-girlfriend _of Kaito Doumoto I won't have that!"

"Oh God, here we go," Rina sighed with her head shaking at the same time.

"Based on my experiences as one of his _one-week girlfriends _I finally realized what type of girl Kaito really likes. I was really pushy and annoying to him when I was dating him for a week which was why he dumped me afterwards, but after that point I finally figured out who his ideal girl is, Lucia! He wants someone nice... someone smart... and you know... someone who isn't pushy and respects him for who he is... someone who doesn't mind sharing different things which each other and learn from them. In other words, someone... oh I don't know.... _low maintenance_!"

"_Low maintenance _girlfriend. Yeah right," Rina snickered with her arms crossed. "You think Kaito would actually want a _low maintenance _girlfriend? Did you even realize that every single girl he's dated and flirted with are all pretty, popular, sexy, and frivolous? You know, like you, for example."

"I am so going to kill you for that remark, Rina!" Hanon glared immediately towards the more serious girl. "Look, Lucia, all you have to do is be---"

Just as Hanon was about to continue they were interrupted by an excited young male voice calling for her name. "Hanon! Hey Hanon! There you are!"

"Ugh... great..." Hanon sighed and lowered her head while slowly turning her eyes towards the direction where the voice was coming from. At her sight a rather charming young boy about two years her junior dashed his way to her direction, waving at her.

"What do you want, Nagisa?"

The younger cool-looking Nagisa Shiroi gave a wink towards Hanon along with his signature smile that many girls his age were familiar with. "Oh come on, Hanon, why you gotta be like that? I just want to say hi!"

"Oh please, give me a break," Hanon rolled her eyes and continued. "I know that familiar wink--- all you surfer dudes always do that to girls! I know because those darn Doumoto Twins always do that! What do you want?"

Rina covered her mouth to refrain herself from chuckling while Lucia continued to watch the situation between Hanon and Nagisa with no reaction. "Okay, you got me. I'm just wondering if you have any plans for this summer, Hanon."

"I have a part-time job at Pearl Waters, what do you think?" Hanon answered with a sigh. "I don't think I'll be free to have dates, Nagisa. Sorry."

"Sure you do, Hanon," Rina interrupted with a wink on her eye. "Pearl Waters has an open flex schedule for all part-timers. Besides, you can't exactly live your summer vacation without going out with a certain cute guy, hm?"

"You're not helping, Rina!" Hanon quickly turned to Rina, who was already smiling right at her.

"Oh that's okay," Nagisa chuckled, still brimming with confidence. "See, I asked 'cuz the guys and I will be hanging out at the beach all summer long! The Doumoto Twins and the other dudes are pumped up for the upcoming Regional Surf Scenes Tournament in a few months so they're skipping all their vacation days to practice. Reason why I asked because the beach area close to where Pearl Waters has the wildest surf throughout this whole coastal stretch. And since you say that you'll be working all summer at Pearl Waters, that means I get to see you all summer too!"

Hanon became startled and gulped nervously, then sighed. "Oh... okay... um... good for you..."

"Nagisa! What the hell are you doing? Get your ass back down here! Let's go!" Another familiar male voice called out to their direction as all eyes gazed at the voice's direction. Hanon gasped with bliss and blushed tomato red once she spotted the one who called out for the young boy.

"Aaaah!" Hanon gasped and nudged Lucia on the side. "Look who's here!"

"Oh no..." Lucia quickly turned her head away so she did not have to look.

Nagisa waved at the group of boys who called for him and turned back to the girls. "Well, I guess I'll be going now. If you want to hang out with us or something we'll be at the beach across from Pearl Waters. Today's day one of the _Rainbowside Surf Tribe _official surf training, you know!"

"Really?" Hanon snickered and patted Nagisa on the shoulder. "Thanks for the tip!" Immediately she walked towards the direction where the group of boys were standing. Among in that group were none other than the popular Doumoto Twins, Gaito and Kaito, with Gaito keeping cool as always with his hands in his pockets while Kaito chatted with a few random pretty girls nearby. The twins' presence was the only reason why Hanon decided to approach them on their own.

"Hey! Wait up, Hanon!" Nagisa ran after her, leaving Lucia and Rina at the bench behind.

Rina witnessed Hanon making talks with the boys including the Doumoto Twins as she gave a slight nudge to Lucia's side.

"What...?" Lucia sighed and slowly turned her head towards her friend.

"Don't look now, Lucia, but the man of your dreams is with them!" Rina chuckled as Lucia quickly took a glance. Just then her eyes spotted tall, lean, perfectly-built surfer boy Kaito Doumoto along with a few popular girls whom she recognized as Hanon's former friends. At the same time she spotted Hanon chatting with the boys with the possibly of Kaito listening along while he was busy with his share of girls.

"What... what's Hanon doing?" Lucia nervously murmured her question while Rina shrugged her arms.

"You know Hanon. She still has hookups with the school's most popular kids even if she doesn't really hang out with them anymore." Rina took a guess at the situation.

"I... I can't look, Rina!" Lucia quickly buried her face on to Rina's shoulder.

"Calm down, Lucia, I'm sure Hanon isn't talking to them just to embarrass you. She'll hear it from me if she does."

Just as the girls waited for Hanon another young boy appeared right in front of them. The slightly tall, attractive, and pale white-blond boy stood in front of them with his arms crossed. "Lucia!"

Lucia lifted her head and spotted her younger brother, Hiroki "Hippo" Nanami, about the same age as Nagisa. She sat up and faced her serious brother looking straight at her. "Hey Hippo. Heading home?"

"Hi Hippo," Rina greeted the younger brother. Hippo greeted his older sister's friend the same way and turned back to Lucia.

"I was looking all over for you, Lucia!" Hippo exclaimed with worry. "I thought we were supposed to meet at the fourth hall doorway and you weren't even there! I was gonna head home by myself too."

Lucia patted the empty space next to her, inviting Hippo to sit down. Hippo sighed and took the empty seat. "Nicola's gonna kill us if we get home late. Remember that Taro's moving in today and Nicola and Aunt Taki was going to pick him up from the train station and that you and I are gonna have to open Pearl Waters while they're away!"

"I'm sorry, Hippo... I'm just... out of it today..." Lucia sighed and lowered her head. "I had a really bad day..."

Hippo gasped with a bit of sarcasm on his tone. "Oh no! Don't tell me--- you daydreamed again, did you?"

"Ugh..." Lucia lowered her head immediately, unable to face the truth from her brother. Rina snickered and nudged Lucia on the side.

"Give her a break, Hippo. It's summer! Summer is the official period of daydreams without getting busted, you know?" Rina made her statement.

Hippo gazed at the group across from them and shook his head. "Lucia, why do you keep daydreaming about those guys? See, I knew that Hanon girl was nothing but trouble. She got you all wrapped up like that. What the heck do you see in those twins anyway? And on top of that, Kaito Doumoto? Have you gone insane? What's so cool about those dudes anyway? I mean look at Nagisa over there... what a poser! He still thinks being a part of those Rainbowside Surf Tribe dudes would make him a lot cooler and his crush Hanon don't even hang out with them anymore. Please don't tell me you're going to turn to the dark side and join them, Lucia."

"Hippo," Lucia sighed deeply and spoke in a soft tone. "I don't care what you think about them. I think every person has good qualities in them no matter what. I think even Kaito has a good heart too. Of course, I could be wrong but I do have a heavy feeling that Kaito can be nice if he wants to be."

"Really, Lucia? You haven't even met the guy yourself," Hippo snickered while his eyes shifted back and forth. "Though I gotta admit I'm glad you're not making any dumb moves on him because you don't want to be popular by being the biggest moron in the entire school. I'd feel seriously ashamed if that happens."

"Thanks for the support, Hippo," Lucia answered with sarcasm in her tone and crossed her arms. "You really are a big help."

Just as Hippo was about to answer they were quickly interrupted by Hanon's cheerful voice and her charming wave at them. "Lucia! Rina!" And afterwards a glance at the younger brother. "Hi Hippo! Come along too!"

"Come... along...?" Hippo raised an eyebrow of suspicion as both Lucia and Rina stood up from their seats. "What the heck does she mean by that?"

"Hurry up, you guys, let's go!" Hanon continued to call at them as the two girls gazed at Hippo, who refused to move.

"Hippo, come on, let's go," Rina said with a kind tone and offered her hand to him. "We're just gonna walk home together anyway."

"I'm not going with them! I don't want other kids to think that I'm a poser too like Nagisa is. I don't even wanna know what everyone else thinks of me if they see me hanging around with these guys... I'll be ruined the time I come back here next year!"

Rina abruptly grabbed Hippo by the arm, forcing him to stand up. "I have a shift tonight at Pearl Waters anyway so don't worry. I'll help you guys open once we get there. I mean we're just going to go home, right?"

Just as Hippo found his ground Hanon arrived with an impatient expression on his face. "What are you guys doing? The surf tribe is waiting! I've gone all the trouble to get them to let us walk home with them. At least you guys should show some respect or something!"

Rina shook her head at Hanon. "Uh, you didn't exactly tell us that you wanted to walk with them, Hanon, so don't be blaming us. Besides, we were already thinking of ditching you since you still love to hang out with those people."

"Hey, just because I sacrificed my Rainbow Pop Girl reputation for you guys, doesn't mean I don't want to talk to them anymore. Now come on, even Kaito over there is waiting!" Quickly Hanon placed her arm around Lucia and dragged her to where the group is.

"Wait--- wait--- no!" Lucia struggled from being dragged along by her friend. "Hanon, please! I--- I'm not ready for this!"

"First come, first serve, Lucia! Here's your chance!" Hanon continued to drag the shy girl along with her while Rina and the reluctant Hippo followed from behind.

_Hanon... I'm not ready... _Lucia finally surrendered to Hanon's forceful dragging up until they reached the group of surfer boys whom the entire school dubbed them as the _Rainbowside Surf Tribe_. By the time they reached their point Lucia felt her entire body completely cold numb as if fate decided to trap her at that spot until she makes her move.

"Well then, boys!" Hanon smirked using her usual cute charm on them. "Thanks for letting us walk with you! Anyway, these are the girls I've been talking about!"

Lucia exclaimed in distress. "You... you told them... about... us?"

"Well then, now this has got to be interesting," Rina returned the smirk with her arms crossed.

_Why am I here? I shouldn't even be here... _Hippo's conscience made the complaint for the troubled young man.

"I see." From behind the boys stood the older Doumoto twin, Gaito, still remaining his cool and calm composure like every major moment was no big deal. "Looking forward to summer, ladies?"

Lucia and Rina quickly nodded with no words spoken. Hippo remained standing with his continuous suspicious expression. Hanon frowned in disappointment at her new two friends and sighed. "Lucia, Rina, come on, I know you two can better than that." Immediately she turned her head back to Gaito with nervous giggles. "Um, forgive them, I mean they're not really used to talk to... um... people with famous names, know what I mean, Gaito?"

"I understand. We completely understand." Gaito remained that same smile on his face and moved forward. "Welcome to the Rainbowside Surf Tribe of the good town of Nijibe, ladies. I'm Gaito Doumoto, manager of these awesome surfers here. These guys here are your future champions of the first annual Regional Surf Scenes Tournament--- that shrimp over there you know--- Nagisa Shiroi."

"Hey!" Nagisa exclaimed in disappointment. "Just because I'm a rookie doesn't mean I'm insignificant!"

"Heh," Hippo smirked towards his fellow first year classmate. "Shrimp does suits you, Shiroi."

"Whatever, Nanami." Nagisa raised an eyebrow towards Lucia's stern younger brother.

Gaito continued on with the introductions. "That smooth dude with the glasses standing tall over there is Masahiro Hamasaki. He's more of a greaser than a surfer but you know... he's one of those hobbyist types."

The tall, dark-haired, biker-suited Masahiro Hamasaki gave a slight wave and advanced forward with his directly gazing towards the tall and composed Rina. "Hey... have I seen you somewhere before?"

Rina, the more levelheaded of the three friends, knew who this strange motorcycle teen was directing that question to. "We are at the same school after all."

"It's just... it's just..." Masahiro walked closer until he was a few feet near where Rina was standing. "I guess must have mistook you for this month's Cover Girl of Posh Mode Magazine... the resemblance is just remarkable."

"Right..." Rina responded with a slight snicker on her face. "That's like the hundredth time some dude has said that to me today. Nothing surprises me anymore."

The reaction came from the rest of the surf tribe with laughter and a few side remarks regarding Masahiro's somewhat failed attempt at getting a particular girl's attention. Though Masahiro kept his same cool composure as before deep within he was a bit disappointed. Normally pick up lines like that usually work with Masahiro, however any type of smooth pick up lines like he just displayed earlier have no effect on a girl like Rina Touin.

"Okay, Masahiro, enough," Gaito interrupted before he continued on using more failed pick-up lines on Rina. "Those two guys over there failing in picking up girls over there are Daichi and Kengo. I think you ladies know those guys already since they are in the same homeroom class as you. And of course, last but not least---" Just as Gaito was about to introduce his other half he and the rest of the surf tribe noticed their popular champion surfer Kaito Doumoto went missing. "Oh great, where is he?"

"He was just standing here with you guys!" Hanon sighed and continued to look around. "Where did he go?"

Gaito shook his head and turned to the other two boys moping for their girl-picking up failures. "Hey Daichi, Kengo! Where's my other half?"

Daichi, the taller and leaner boy heard Gaito's voice and turned his head. "You mean Kaito? He was just here a minute ago!"

"Jeez, you losers lost him! I can't believe he'd walk out like that while I'm introducing you guys to Hanon's friends here." Gaito was about to head out himself when Hanon stopped him.

"Ugh, how can he be so rude!" Hanon exclaimed with disappointment in her eyes. "Never mind, Gaito, let's just go without him. Besides, it's my turn anyway."

Gaito sighed and placed his hands back in his pockets. "Fine, fine. Go ahead."

"Well then, without further ado, Surf Princes, I would like you to introduce my dear friends. This here is Rina Touin and here we have Lucia Nanami and her brother Hippo--- right, Hippo?"

Hippo gave a nod and answered: "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you." Both Rina and Lucia greeted while the boys returned the greeting.

"Well then, since Kaito decided to ditch us like this, let's just go." Hanon insisted on leaving the campus without the surf tribe's star surfer. For Hanon, this particular afternoon would have been Lucia's lucky day.

"Well, Kaito is an independent person after all." Lucia made her statement quickly but with a slight tremble of her voice. "Maybe next time. We have to open Pearl Waters!"

"Pearl Waters, huh." Gaito picked up the beach side restaurant's name from Lucia. "Oh that's right, I didn't realize your last name. Your family owns Pearl Waters."

"Right." Hippo nodded and quickly grabbed Lucia by the wrist. "Come on, Lucia, let's lead the way. I don't wanna waste time waiting for some dude who'd just ditch us during introductions like that."

"Wait, Hippo---" Right at that moment Nagisa made his own remark towards the impatient younger Nanami.

"Jeez, you sure are overprotective, Nanami. It's not like none of us tribe surfers is gonna try and pick up your sister--- no offense to you, Lucia, of course--- but take it easy, man---"

"Back off, okay?" Hippo shot another attack at Nagisa and turned his head away. "Hurry up, Lucia, let's go!" Again, Hippo dragged his older sister, making sure that Lucia was apart from any one of the surf tribe boys, most especially the one who left them cold during their introductions.

Lucia sighed and surrendered to his younger brother's overprotective nature and let him lead the way. Hanon and Rina followed behind them while Gaito reminded Daichi and Kengo to catch up with them later after they find Kaito's whereabouts. They headed out from the school entrance and on their way to their coastal neighborhood, where the beach across from the Nanamis' family business, the local surfer hotspot restaurant and juice bar known as Pearl Waters. Recently opened just six months ago and this upcoming summer would be the establishment's first chance to be open for business it was predicted that Pearl Waters will be the newest, hottest hangout for all beach goers and avid surfers from near and far. Inherited from the Nanamis' late parents to Lucia and Hippo's twenty-one-year-old older sister Nicola Nanami, the Nanamis and their newly-hired staff which included both Rina and Hanon and a few of Nicola's old classmates, Pearl Waters was indeed ready to welcome many new faces as well as the regulars.

After a few moments they finally reached Kaigara Boulevard, the only street in town that overlooks the coast within. All of the seaside businesses, hangouts, and the coolest spots among the surfers and beach goers are located at Kaigara Boulevard. The Nanami Family Residence was not difficult to find since they only live two stories above Pearl Waters. Just by overlooking the beach from the vista rail boarding the boulevard Hippo noticed the overwhelming build up of the ocean's swell.

"This is... this is crazy!" Hippo exclaimed in shock. "I have never seen that swell that huge! I gotta say about twenty feet."

Lucia looked confused with all the science of the ocean's waves coming from her brother. "Um, I don't know what you're saying but those waves are really huge... and dangerous..."

"I'm gonna run home and get my camera. I gotta take some shots!" Hippo waved and dashed his way to the Pearl Waters building, which was just a few feet away from where they were standing.

"Great. Getting all protective on me and he ditches me." Lucia rolled her eyes at the situation but still continued to gaze out at the ocean and its sudden high swells building up almost every five seconds. With the swell breaking as high as twenty feet this was indeed good news for the surfers.

Hanon and Rina caught the view of the speeding swell and became entranced by its strength. "Holy--- look at those waves! I've never seen these waves so large in this beach ever!" Rina exclaimed happily.

Hanon giggled and turned her head towards the surfer boys behind them and waved. "SURF'S UP, DUDES! SURF'S UP!"

Just as the surf tribe arrived they stopped at the railing where Lucia, Hanon, and Rina were standing and found themselves hypnotized at the ocean swells. For the surfer boys they felt as if the God of the Seas called to them subconsciously and it was time for them to serve by riding what can possibly be the wildest surf this town has ever seen.

"DUDE! THOSE BREAKERS ARE REALLY CALLING OUT, MAN! THE BREAKERS ARE CALLING!" From the distance they can hear Kaito's two best friends, Daichi and Kengo, calling forth all their fellow surfers from nearby neighborhoods. At that moment more and more of local surfers, young and old, blast out from their shells along with their surfboards, ready to take on the sea.

Gaito was the last person to arrive and stopped at where the girls were standing. "We got a stampede of fangirls coming to us! Kaito had just arrived!" Right then he passed them by, dusting the entire group behind him.

_Kaito?! _Lucia felt her heart racing like there was no tomorrow when Masahiro quickly took Rina's hand while Nagisa did the same with Hanon.

"Rina, we can't be here. We'll get run over by those girls. We gotta go!"

"Wait!" Rina found herself getting dragged quickly by Masahiro along with a surfboard on his other arm as the two ran down the low hill to reach the sands.

"When Kaito's fan girls arrive, Hanon, there's no stopping them, so let's go!" Nagisa grinned while he took Hanon along with him, getting caught up with such an intense rush as the screaming fan girls calling for Kaito Doumoto's name.

As Hanon was being dragged she called for Lucia. "Lucia, don't just stand there, hurry!"

"Right!" Following Nagisa and Hanon from behind Lucia ran as fast as she can as she was advised by her crush's twin brother Gaito. As she ran she was unaware that Kaito's friends, Daichi and Kengo, arrived right next to her along with their surfboards on their hands.

"First time being in this wild rush, Nanami?" Daichi spoke a question to the seemingly naïve Lucia.

"Uh... uh yeah! I usually just hide at the rocks but---"

"Well you better step up, Missy, because the Kaito Doumoto Fan Club is the most dangerous stampede you'll ever face at this side of the town! Come on!" Kengo winked at Lucia as he and Daichi ran ahead of her, dusting her behind.

"Hey, not fair! Wait, you guys! Wait!" Lucia knew she had to run faster than she was right now. She had to pick up her speed so she did not have to get buried by the all-girl stampede tailing her from behind.

Still she focused on trying to catch up to the rest of the group when from out of the blue she felt someone taking her hand gently but at the same time she felt her speed picking up, dusting the rabid fan girls tailing behind her. As she gazed at the hand that took hers she looked up slowly and noticed that the other arm was also occupied with a distinctive white surfboard with fitting designs on it. Then she gazed slowly right at the face to see who just took her hand and leading her right to the beach.

"Slow poke! You're sharing the same fate with me with the stampede!" The very clear, clean, gentle, yet somewhat commanding voice of a particular male youth sang like music to Lucia's ears. A gleeful smile with hints of blushes appeared on her face in a matter of milliseconds as the entire scene blurred away with the exception of her, the surfer boy holding her hand, and the raging sea calling out for them to come forth.

_Kaito... you're... you're holding... my hand... and I'm running... with you..._ Lucia found herself losing control of her imagination but still kept her eyes fixated towards the handsome champion surfer with her. Right then, another new tune and new words came to her mind and found herself murmuring those melodic words to herself.

_Little surfer, little one_

_Make my heart come all undone_

_Do you love me_

_Do you, surfer boy …?_

As the railing separating the side pavement of the boulevard was getting smaller Kaito turned his overly excited face towards Lucia as if he was giving her a signal that they were going to jump over the border and right at the sandy hills that lead down to the beach. Lucia was very familiar with the beach herself that she knew immediately what Kaito was aiming for. It was the quickest way and possibly the only way for them to escape the fan girls chasing him from behind. This very beach across from Pearl Waters Restaurant was Lucia Nanami's territory and she was ready, willing, and open to share her territory with this particular surfer boy next to her.

In the meantime down the beach Hanon and Rina caught the moment with Kaito leading Lucia with hands locked right at the beach, escaping the fan girl stampede as much as they can. To the two girls just gazing at Kaito and Lucia running together felt like a brand-new fairy tale was about to begin. Even if it was two junior high students in school uniform---with Kaito's shirt halfway open that is--- to those at the beach witnessing the two it felt as if another one of those _true love _urban legends spread all over town was becoming a reality. For all they know the names of Lucia Nanami and Kaito Doumoto will eventually become household names as the hottest young couple of the summer season, but right now this small moment still needed to be finished.

"That's my ideal couple... right there... in the making..." Hanon murmured to herself as she witnessed the two making a run of their lives while Rina remained grinning, giving a thumbs up to Lucia. Behind them the surfers finally removed their school uniforms, revealing wet suits underneath and ready to get themselves wet. They spotted their lead surfer and the clueless maiden hand in hand as some of them made whistles to get their attention.

"Yo Gaito! Looks like your _other half _has arrived!" Nagisa chuckled, pointing his eyes right at Kaito.

"About time too." Gaito smirked, watching his twin, while shaking his head at the same time.

Just as the border fence was at the right size Kaito turned to Lucia once more, still with her hand on his, then turned his gaze towards the fence. Lucia knew what he was trying to say and gave a nod. Simultaneously, still with their hands together, they made a sharp turn to the pavement and right at the border gate. Because it was small enough and the land over it was shallow enough it was a perfect way for them to escape the stampede and make their way to the beach. With just a split second Lucia and Kaito lifted themselves and jumped over the border fence. Lucia felt like she was soaring up in Cloud Nine with her true love hand in hand with her. Heaven called for them, but unfortunately it only took half a second for them to hit the sandy ground--- on foot.

They continued to run even though they knew that the fan girls would not even dare jump over the fence like they did; not with their rather skimpy and fancy outfits anyway. Right when they reached the group Kaito immediately released Lucia's hand and ran immediately to the sea along with his fellow tribe surfers. Lucia stopped running and stayed where Hanon and Rina were left by Nagisa and Masahiro.

She concentrated her eyes towards Kaito as he rowed his board with him leaning flat forward, looking for a perfect wave to catch. Once Kaito succeeded Lucia called out to him, not to get his attention, but to pump him up with his ride.

"RIDE! RIDE! RIDE!" Lucia shouted towards Kaito, calling out to him and ride that wild surf.

Hanon and Rina caught what Lucia was doing and stood next to her, calling out the same way. "RIDE! RIDE! RIDE!"

Back at the balcony of Pearl Waters Restaurant, young Hippo was making himself busy by taking several shots of the ocean, its raging swell, and those surfers riding those killer waves. Though he had been taking ocean photography and surfing photography and selling them to widely popular magazines bit by bit as his side hobby he had never seen the beach within his family's territory break such huge swells as the one he was witnessing right now through his lens. He stood up and also called out to the surfers at the beach the same way Lucia, Hanon, and Rina had been calling.

"RIDE, DUDES, RIDE!" Hippo called out as loud as he can, which caught the attention of older sister Nicola Nanami. She came inside Hippo's room wondering what the fuss was about when so many people arrived at the beach across from their home.

"What is going on here, Hippo?" Nicola rushed to the balcony to witness this strange and unusual occurrence.

Hippo pointed his finger towards the raging waves ebbing to the shores almost every six seconds. "This, Nicola, is what is happening right now!"

Nicola found a pair of binoculars from Hippo's desk inside and gazed through it. She became startled at the massive size of the waves along with the enthusiastic local beach goers and the Kaito Doumoto fan girls occupying the beach, screaming wildly for their surfing idol Kaito riding his own wave. Her binoculars found Kaito doing his daredevil tricks from jumping off the wave and doing 360 spins on the air without getting himself wiped out.

_Now I can see why so many girls around town are seriously falling for Kaito Doumoto... just look at his smooth moves! _Nicola thought to herself as she continued to explore the scene at the beach. Not too far distant she caught her younger sister Lucia standing still at her own spot while cheering out as loud as she can. _Looks like Lucia came out from her hiding place today..._

Nicola knew right then. Even everyone else present at the beach already knew it. Most of all, Lucia, Hanon, Rina, and the Rainbowside Surf Tribe led by the Doumoto Twins knew it.

Summer has arrived.

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_

_Welcome to my very first fanfic written for the nostalgic magical girl from the beach front series, **Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch**. I've gone through both the manga series and the anime series these past few weeks and it looks like all possible gap-filler ideas for a fanfic has already been covered by none other by the creators themselves, Pink Hanamori and Michiko Yokote (if you read vol. #7's side stories, you'll see what I mean by this). I did not want to repeat myself with possible plot ideas when it's already been covered in the manga itself so I decided to do an alternate world-type of story using the characters and simply write an original story with them in it. I fell in love with all of the characters that I just had to find some ways for me to include all of them in this fic._

_There are a few notes that I would like to point out._

_#1 – As you can see I'm aiming for an all-human cast here. That also includes Hippo's human form, only because he's cute and cool like that. Don't expect any mermaids (tentative!) or other strange stuff that deals with taking over the world. The original story has been told already._

_#2 – I gave Hippo the first name Hiroki, with "Hippo" as his nickname. I made him as a hobbyist photographer specializing in ocean and surfing photography. I also made Lucia a tailor and designer of handwoven friendship bracelets, beads, and rings._

_#3 – The Nanami Family, owners of the Pearl Waters Restaurant, consist of the following: Taki Nanami (aunt and resident fortune teller), Nicola Nanami (owner and manager – see my explanation in the Intro chapter as to why I'm spelling her name as "Nicola" instead of "Nikora"), Lucia Nanami, Hiroki "Hippo" Nanami (Nicola, Lucia, and Hippo are siblings), and later on Taro Mitsuki (Nicola's, Lucia's, and Hippo's cousin who just moved in to take on his upcoming assignment as a new teacher in Lucia's and Hippo's schools)._

_#4 – I know I mentioned this before but I will not be using any of the music that was used in the anime because they were already been used. I also think that music is also important in creating vivid scenery in a story which was why I opted on using surf rock/beach songs from the '60s (and possibly modern times although I haven't heard any popular ones today). We are talking about beach life here!_

_#5 – I made Hanon as the popular girl in this fanfic simply because her personality just has that. I also tried to have Rina keep her cool and calm personality but also as supportive as she can for Lucia and Hanon._

_More to come, obviously!_

_**RATED T **for the the VERY mild language AND slight adult situations._

_**Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch** is © 2003 Pink Hanamori and Michiko Yokote. All songs used are © respected songwriters/owners. No copyright infringement intended._


	3. Surf Scenes Tourney

**RIDE THE WILD SURF  
a Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch Fanfiction**

by Adrimarie

**Surf Scenes Tourney  
**

_I have watched you from the shore_

_Standing by the ocean's roar_

_Do you love me_

_Do you, surfer boy?_

Lucia had no care in the world when the rabid fan girls of the boy of her dreams occupying the edge of the beach, watching their beloved idol surfer boy rip his way through the raging wild surf and making history of being a part of the day the beaches of Nijibe emerged the largest, turbulent surf. It was also the perfect time that plans for holding a brand-new surfing tournament here in Nijibe would actually go through with so many approvals and sponsorships. Though still unannounced with the exception of professional surfers and surfing enthusiasts those who knew began to prepare for that big event.

While Hanon and Rina continued to watch and cheered on the surfers ripping these huge waves like this was their ultimate ride of their lifetime. It was not until almost the entire population of Nijibe arrived at the beach that sent Lucia back to the rocks again but she did not mind at all. She always enjoyed watching the surfers, most especially Kaito Doumoto, from afar and simply let her imagination wild. Being hidden behind the rocks also gave her a lot of advantages: one being no one else throughout town would figure that she is a hidden admirer of Kaito Doumoto and second being she can quietly sing a song dedicated to him. One of Lucia's hidden talents aside from spending her time weaving friendship bracelets and bead rings was coming up with her own songs, lyrics and composition, right out of her own head. At the moment she got herself lost in her cloudy world with the perfect picture of Kaito Doumoto riding his wave and doing various somersaults that proved his right to be a champion surfer any other surfer may fear.

_We could ride the surf together_

_While our love would grow_

_With our dear friends you could take me_

_Everywhere you go_

_So I say from me to you_

_I will make your dreams come true_

_Do you love me_

_Do you, surfer boy?_

While humming the tune of the song she quietly sang her tranced cloudy world suddenly disappeared when Kaito reached land with smooth cleanliness. Lucia found herself distracted right when the fan girls as well as his fellow surfer friends crowd around him. It was not just because that was Kaito himself that caused the enthusiastic rage of the spectators but the fact that the entire team and the town they represent have full confidence that they will own the upcoming First Annual Regional Surf Scenes Tournament.

Still, the crowding and the ravishing of the hardcore fan girls all over Kaito Doumoto did not bother her at all. She knew that he deserved all the attention because he earned it, and that was another one of the qualities she loved about him. He worked hard to get to the top of the surfing world in addition to his own studies in school. Even when an embarrassing moment had to happen in front of him he still kept is calm and cool composure. He was also openhearted to those who wanted to have a word with him and would not mind take some time off to spend a few moments with that person. Those were a few of the qualities that Hanon also liked about Kaito but failed to respect those qualities during her _one-week girlfriend _period with him. No wonder she only had a limit of one week. Lucia continued to smile while making herself comfortable at her rocky hiding spot, sighing at the godly sight of Kaito Doumoto from the distance.

In the meantime the Rainbowside Surf Tribe surfer boys gently pushed the girls out of the way so Kaito can have some room for him to return to the sand. Once he found room he met up with his twin brother Gaito while Daichi and Kengo warned the fan girls that they will be having a short meeting and they needed to be alone. Rina and Hanon noticed their movement and decided to leave the scene to look for Lucia.

As the boys gathered using their surfboards to build their own small meeting room Gaito reached for his messenger bag and took out a folder with some documents inside. Their small meeting immediately proceeded.

"Okay--- first annual Regional Surf Scenes Tournament, guys," Gaito began the meeting. "It used to be known as the Regional Surfing Championships Tournament but they expanded it this time."

"Expanded it?" Masahiro questioned curiously. "What do you mean?"

"Well surfing is no longer the only event involved in this particular tournament," Gaito answered directly. "It's going to be a lot difficult and we only got about two months to get ourselves ready. We have to expand our representation for Nijibe."

"In other words," Kaito added along, "this new tournament doesn't limit to just surfing competitions anymore. I read the documents myself earlier today. It's gonna be really tough."

"Well," Nagisa spoke, "what exactly do we need? You said expanded, not changed, right? What's the new stuff?"

"I'm about to get to that." Gaito removed the documents from the folder and read the important points from the overview page. "We need a team of three female surfers, a six-member tandem surfer team, a surf band, and one beach babe who will be our entry to the Beach Girl Pageant."

The entire surf tribe exclaimed in shock to hear the requirements to participate. "What the hell? We can't have all that!" Nagisa exclaimed in slight frustration. "We don't know any girl who can actually surf... and we don't even know anybody who is a part of a band who plays surf rock or beach songs or whatever... though we won't have a problem with looking for one beach babe for the pageant and all but.... what the heck is a tandem surfer team?"

"Easy," Masahiro answered. "Six-member tandem surfer team, which means three couples--- three girls, three guys. In other words, pair surfing."

"Pair surfing?" Daichi and Kengo curiously asked.

"Pair surfing, dudes. One couple per surfboard. They do all these crazy tricks like figure skating except their skates is the surfboard and the ice rink is the ocean."

Both Daichi and Kengo turned to each other with slight panic in their eyes. "We're dead!"

Kaito sighed and shook his head, disagreeing with the requirements. He turned to his twin brother with his concern. "G, we can't do this, man. We don't have enough people or resources to actually participate in this new surf scenes tournament thing. I don't think we'll succeed with just entering the tournament itself."

Gaito slammed his fist on the sand and answered his twin. "Kaito, do you have any idea what other teams are going to participate here? Seiyo Valley, that's who."

Masahiro raised an eyebrow right after hearing the town name of Seiyo Valley from Gaito. "Seiyo Valley... don't tell me--- that dude... the West Regional Champion dude... what's his name again?"

"I know," Kaito answered, resting himself on the sand. "Kousuke Sakiya."

"Yeah! Him!" Nagisa exclaimed. "I know you're being all good sport with Sakiya, Kaito, but his ego is larger than his surfboard, seriously! I'm sure he's gonna be there too looking for another rematch. When is he going to realize that you kick his ass anytime in those major tournaments, man? He needs to retire, seriously! And remember the last time we ran in to him? The Southern championships, right? He tried to even hit on our babes--- Hanon, Ayaka, Mika--- what's up with that? We gotta protect our babes from dudes like him!"

"Well then," Masahiro spoke, "do you have any game plans in mind, Gaito?"

"The reason why I mentioned Seiyo Valley was because of this. A few weeks ago while I was out on my date with Sara I ran in to Sakiya at that restaurant. He actually thought I was Kaito and threw a challenge against me. His town of Seiyo Valley wants to challenge Nijibe--- meaning us, obviously--- to this tournament. He wants to see what else we're really good at besides a champion all-male surfing team. I was going to mention it to you guys but I thought he was joking around. I didn't realize he was serious when we ran in to each other again a few days ago at the mall. He still thinks I'm Kaito and he mentioned it again. I had no choice but to accept his challenge because Sara happens to be the prize---"

"WHAT?!" Daichi and Kengo shrieked in shock.

"Way to go pretending to be me, G," Kaito sighed, shaking his head. "Sara is your problem, man. Good thing I don't have a girlfriend to lose to idiots like Sakiya."

"You didn't!" Nagisa gasped with a hand on his mouth. "Gaito, why?"

"Nijibe deserves all the glory anyway," Gaito continued. "And I love this town, damnit! I'm not gonna let some punk town like Seiyo Valley run over any one of us who live in Nijibe. We gotta protect what we love and we need to show those Seiyo Valley punks that we own them and our way of surf scenes life! We're talking about all or nothing here!"

Silence fell between the surfers, all in contemplative mode. The Rainbowside Surf Tribe of Nijibe carried a long tradition of excellence and prestige in terms of almost every major team-based surf tournament in the country and at times, the world. As a team they have held championship titles for the past five years since the Doumoto Twins joined at their very young ages. Their father, though a famous composer, was a champion surfer himself in his teens and also led the surf tribe to many consecutive years of championship titles until his retirement. The entrance of the Doumoto Twins, most especially the younger twin Kaito, saved and preserved the surf tribe's elite reputation in the surfing world.

Until today with this brand-new type of surfing tournament the surf tribe was facing their biggest challenge yet. Sure things seemed at ease with just six of them, but to form a three-member female surfing team, a surf band, a six-member--- three couples--- tandem team, and one perfect beach babe for the beauty pageant was definitely their biggest obstacle they need to overcome, not as individuals but as a team altogether. The surfer boys need to find a solid way to accomplish the requirements before they submit the entire application document to the tournament officials.

"Okay leader," Masahiro broke the silence as the others turned their eyes towards him. "We got about two months to form all those units. We need to come up with a solid plan to get all those ready. I think we need to do some kind of a checklist and put which item is the most priority."

"Let's start with the easiest item first then deal with the hardest stuff later." Kaito provided a suggestion. He nudged his twin next to him. "Do you have paper and pen to write? We need to vote on the priorities from the easiest to the hardest--- easiest being first on the list and the hardest as the last item."

"Good idea, Kaito!" Daichi and Kengo cheered as Gaito tore a page from his notebook and handed a blue pen to Nagisa.

"Wha--- why me?" Nagisa frowned just as Gaito was handing him the piece of paper and pen.

"You're the rookie, Shiroi, so you take notes, dude," Daichi reminded the youngest surfer of the team.

"Fine, fine." Nagisa reluctantly took the paper and pen and waited for the seniors to pitch in their ideas.

"Okay, we'll do it this way," Kaito continued. "We vote on each item that we need to prioritize and assign that task to one of us. The harder the tasks that we list it would take more than one person to fulfill it."

"Ready when you guys are!" Nagisa called out.

"I think first priority would be the signature all-male surf team!" Kengo quickly made his suggestion, giving the rest of the boys a reason to moan in disagreement.

"Uh, duh?" Daichi rolled his eyes towards his close friend. "That's us, idiot! We're already done with that!"

"Um... okay..." Kengo scratched his head and continued to contemplate. "Oh I know! We need to get our beach babe to represent us in the beauty pageant portion of the tournament." Quickly he turned his head towards Kaito as Nagisa jotted down his suggestion. "Kaito can attract the entire female population in this entire town so I think he should fulfill that!"

Kaito glared quickly towards Kengo. "Why me?"

"You got the entire fan club to choose from, dude! You can use our _one-week girlfriend _system for you to get to know the chick and see if she's best fit to be our beach babe for the pageant! See, I'm smart!" Kengo grinned, patting himself on the shoulder.

"Hell no." Kaito shot his reaction. "I'm not spending the entire summer getting to know each girl I pick for one week. I cleared out this entire summer for surfing practice. I don't have time to deal with chicks every single week, dude. Sure I went overboard last time but even if this was the first time this surf scenes thing will be held it is a huge deal to me."

Masahiro reached for his bag and took out a fresh copy of the _Posh Mode _fashion magazine and displayed the cover to the rest of the group. He grinned and answered with a wink. "I got that covered, Kaito. No worries."

The boys turned their attention towards the bikini-clad girl on the front cover. Daichi and Kengo began to drool on the illustrious sexy model while Kaito, Nagisa, and Gaito had no reaction at all. "What's with the magazine, Masahiro?" Nagisa asked curiously.

"Take a look at the girl--- not her bikini set, but her face and the hair and her body shape. Who does she remind you of?" Masahiro grinned and still held his magazine upright.

The boys stared long and hard at the cover girl, gazing their eyes in every detail from each bikini piece to every curve of the girl's body. As they continued Kaito made his answer.

"Hm... Well she is kinda hot but I see where you're getting at, Masahiro." Kaito softly chuckled. "The chick on the cover kinda reminds me of that Touin girl in my homeroom class..."

Gaito nodded in agreement. "That so-called pick up line of yours you did on that Touin girl earlier today. You weren't kidding!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Daichi chuckled with a slight smirk afterwards. "You mean--- Rina Touin? As in... _the _Rina Touin?"

"Are we talking about tomboy chick Rina Touin? You're kidding, right Masahiro?" Kengo covered his mouth to prevent himself from laughter. "I hope you realize that we're talking about the biggest tomboy in our school here... how on earth are you gonna pull that off without getting your ass kicked by her? That chick is just untouchable, man!"

"Why, Kengo?" Daichi wondered curiously towards Kengo. "How many Rina Touins do we know who go to our school? Is there another girl with the same name or what?"

"I wasn't kidding when I told Rina that she looked like the cover girl in this month's issue of _Posh Mode_. I don't know about you guys but I think Rina Touin is our perfect beach babe for the beauty pageant. All the dudes would be drooling on her perfect beauty once she steps up on stage. She's going to make us proud." Masahiro felt confident at his statement. The only thing he had a slight problem with was that Kaito, Daichi, and Kengo knew Rina Touin more than him since they were in the same class."

"You're going to turn _street-fightin' _rock-fist Rina Touin in to a _beach babe_?" Daichi still looked unconvinced but intrigued at the same time. "Now this I gotta see!"

"Dude, let me, Kaito, and Daichi here tell you more about Rina Touin," Kengo began his statement. "Most of us guys agree that she's a total babe, but in all honesty you will never see Rina Touin in a skirt or a dress. She'll kick your ass literally if you even mention makeup or cologne to her. I bet you a million bucks she'd rather commit suicide than wear a two-piece bikini like that cover girl is wearing, Masahiro!"

"You really are an idiot when it comes to girls, Kengo." Masahiro returned the statement with his response, keeping calm and confident. "I'm pretty familiar with girls like Rina Touin. She lacks confidence in herself and her natural beauty, that's why she always comes out being cool and making herself comfortable by not wearing anything feminine. She is hiding herself in her own comfort zone and she needs to be shown that there's no shame of her to break out of her shell and show her true self to the world." He turned to Gaito and continued to insist in taking on this item. "Let me take this task, Gaito. Let me work on Rina. I'm confident that I can get her to agree to represent us for the tournament's beauty pageant. She would make a very beautiful beach babe. I can see it."

Nagisa wrote the notes down just as Gaito gave the okay to Masahiro's mission in getting Rina Touin to enter the beauty pageant portion of the surf scenes tournament. After he jotted the note on the paper he gazed up to the boys and began his statement. "Rina Touin scares me a little... why not Hanon? She's cute and she looks really hot in a two-piece bikini! Even Kaito agrees with me on her!"

Kaito quickly shook his head. "Of course you would always prefer Hanon in beauty contests, Nagisa. Although I agree that Hanon's a fine babe but I think Masahiro's already got this covered. If he thinks he can get Rina Touin to be our beach babe then I have faith in him." He turned to Masahiro and gave him a thumbs up. "Go for it, Masahiro!"

Masahiro gave thanks to Kaito as they move on to the next item. Kengo raised his hand again. "The three-member female surf team! That should be our second priority, I think."

"Personally I think just having a three-member female surf team is a little biased." Daichi provided his statement and continued. "On the other hand if they ask us for more then we got major problems."

Kaito sighed and shook his head. "I've talked to most of the girls in our town and so far none of the girls I've met are surfers or even know a thing or two about surfing. I don't know if I'll be able to assemble a three-member all-female surf team that would represent us."

"Man, there has to be some surfer girls in our town, Kaito!" Nagisa exclaimed with worry. "Why don't we just give open trials or something to see if there are any girls interested in surfing, then we can teach them!"

"Dude, Nagisa, we don't have time to teach girls how to surf," Masahiro sighed and lowered his head. "I bet the difficulty level with the female surfers would be the same as ours so we're going to have to go with the seasoned and experienced surfer girls."

Gaito coughed to get the team's attention as he made his statement. "I think we should assign the surfer girl team assembly to all of us. I can talk to Sara and see if she knows any girls who can surf. Nagisa, I'm pretty sure you want to ask Hanon regarding her hookups with other people. Kaito---"

"I know, I know," Kaito crossed his arms with a frown on his face. "I'll talk to the entire fan club or even those annoying Rainbow Pop Girls and ask if any one of them knows how to surf."

"Then it's a done deal!" Nagisa wrote the next item on the list, assigning the mission to the entire surf tribe. "Next!"

Silence fell within the tribe as all went back to contemplative mode. There were only two items left for them to accomplish, which was the formation of a surf rock band and the six-member, three-couple tandem team. The only thing they needed to decide was which one of the two would be the most priority.

"Surf band!" Right then the entire team responded.

Nagisa wrote the item on the paper and quickly answered at the same time. "Don't fret, man. I got this one covered, dudes!"

The rest of the team stared at him with curiosity wondering how a twelve-year-old kid like Nagisa would pull this particular task off. "You know a surf band in our town, Nagisa?" Daichi questioned him with uncertainty on his eyes.

"You dudes ain't the only ones who got hookups, heh." Nagisa smirked with his arms crossed.

"Indulge us, little man," Kengo insisted for the young member to explain.

"There's a certain kid who works at Pearl Waters who's got this really awesome musical talent there. I know none of us have been to Pearl Waters as much before but every Friday night there's a band there that plays everything from surf rock to love ballads with that kid being a member or something. I think he sings sometimes and I think I recall him being the drummer. The Pearl Waters band is gonna be our surf rock band!"

The boys remained silent, wondering how they can answer to what Nagisa provided to them. Nagisa continued. "These guys are original because they actually write their own music. I heard from my... sources... that the kid's cousin is a songwriter or something and can write songs from classical instrumentals to surf rock instrumentals and that he'll be moving in here in town pretty soon. Tomorrow's Friday so if you dudes don't believe me I think we should head to Pearl Waters tomorrow night and watch them play their stuff on stage."

Gaito felt impressed with Nagisa's piece of information. "Nice work, Nagisa. You're becoming a lot more useful as of late."

"See, I knew you'd find me useful. I'm not a poser like most people think." Nagisa smirked and wrote his name next to the surf band item. Afterwards he continued to write down the final item of their agenda.

"So, who exactly is this... source of yours... Nagisa?" Daichi asked the junior surfer boy curiously.

Nagisa sighed and slightly lowered his head. "My ex-girlfriend... before I met Hanon... last year."

Kengo jumped in to the conversation with a startled tone. "You had an _ex_? What the hell--- Daichi and I always luck out with the babes--- and this shrimp here even had a girlfriend before he started hanging out with us?"

Nagisa glared at Kengo and turned his head away. "She dumped me... for... him..."

Masahiro snickered at the fact. "Him... that would mean the kid who was with us earlier? What was his name again?"

"Nanami's younger brother--- Hippo Nanami or something, I think." Daichi answered quickly. "I didn't know Nanami's bro got a girlfriend too---"

_Nanami... Lucia Nanami? She was with you guys earlier? Why wasn't I there...? Stupid fan girls stealing my surfboard away that I had to run off to get it back... Idiot... Idiot... Idiot... _Kaito's voice spoke within him right after hearing the last name from Daichi's answer. As he kept that thought he gazed at his right hand in which he used to take Lucia's hand earlier to escape the fan girls. _I held her hand earlier..._

Nagisa shook his head. "It's not that. Hippo Nanami doesn't have a girlfriend. My ex happens to have a crush on him, but the problem is that she's too shy to go up to him because he doesn't look like the dating type."

"Well good luck to your ex then, Nagisa!" Masahiro snickered. "I can see why you and he couldn't see each other eye to eye earlier today. Now the mystery has been revealed." Nagisa shrugged his arms and decided to move on with the next issue.

"So, we all agree that forming our very own tandem surf team is going to be the biggest challenge for this tournament." Gaito confirmed to everyone of their agreement to the difficulty level of the final item. "I agree. This is gonna be tough."

"Agreed," Masahiro confirmed. "Because they're calling for three couples, it's gonna have to be the three of us and three chicks."

Nagisa jumped in to the issue and volunteered. "Me and Hanon! We can do it! We can be the first couple!"

"Hanon, again? When are you gonna start thinking about other girls besides Hanon?" Daichi sighed, staring at Nagisa. "How are you going to get Hanon to partner up with you?"

"I got my ways," Nagisa grinned with confidence. "True love takes time, you know."

"True love, he says," Kengo snickered while nudging Daichi at the same time.

"Laugh all you want, losers," Nagisa returned the snicker. "At least I know how I can get a girl's attention."

"Okay, guys, enough," Gaito interrupted them and moved on with the subject. "I volunteer on this one. Sara and I can do it. Besides, I gotta show that Sakiya punk that Sara belongs to me."

Masahiro nodded in agreement. "I didn't know Sara is in to surfing, Gaito. You should bring her along with us more often."

"She'll be coming home tomorrow," Gaito answered Masahiro. "She's out of town today with her sister to visit some relatives. I'll talk to her about this tandem surfing thing."

Masahiro confirmed with a nod. "I don't have enough confidence to do pair surfing. I would take Rina with me as a partner but two people on one surfboard is just too much for me."

"Hey!" Daichi exclaimed and turned his head towards Kaito. "You do it, Kaito!"

Kaito snickered and turned his head away. "I don't do tandem surfing, Daichi. Not my style."

Gaito raised an eyebrow towards his younger twin. "Lying is not an option, bro. You've done it before with a few of your _one-week exes_ awhile ago and you're pretty strong and cool with those moves. You can do your tricks with a girl the same way as you do your 360s on the air."

"That was an experiment, G! It's not like I'm gonna get in to that tandem surfing thing for real, you know." Kaito stood his ground with his arms crossed, glaring right at his twin. "Besides... those girls forced me to do all that tandem surfing stuff with them since they did their _research _from some loudmouth surfers I know..."

Masahiro quickly shook his head. "Don't look at me, Kaito. I thought they were interested in the sport so I mentioned it."

"Besides," Kaito continued with his reasoning. "If you want to win in tandem surfing it's not about the tricks that you gotta worry to impress the judges. It's your communication with your partner that scores the highest."

The rest of the surf tribe fell silent with curiosity on their expressions as Kaito continued on. "You can't just pick some girl you caught your eye on and then make her your partner. You also need to build trust, eye contact, and close-knit coordination. You and your partner should be able to read what's in your mind in a weird mental way without words or actions exchanged. You should be able to read each other's intentions just by looking at them through their eyes. It's like... it's like..."

Gaito continued the trailing statement from his twin brother. "... like you and your partner are truly in love with each other?"

"... I guess you could say that, G." Kaito shrugged and switched his position to get himself comfortable. "I voted tandem surfing as my final priority because finding the right partner is the most difficult part in forming a winning pair. And you guys know me already. I'm used to winning every tournament and second place or lower is no option to me. I enter every major competition I can get in to and I get in there, not just to impress and inspire, but to win. If you want me to do this tandem surfing thing then losing is not an option to me. That's why I didn't want to volunteer earlier but I guess at this point I have no choice. Daichi and Kengo here can't even pick up any girls for themselves and I had to do it for them and if I have to resort to that then we lose this entire tournament."

"A little deep there, Kaito," Masahiro responded in the same serious tone. "You're making it sound like we have to sweep this entire tournament just to make a statement to the world that we are the best. That would mean Rina has to win the pageant, our surfer girls have to win the female tournament, and that the band Nagisa's going to get us has to win the surf band contest too. It's already obvious we're going to win our usual tournament, but dude, you're just expecting too much."

Kaito glared towards Masahiro, shooting a more serious look than ever. "Thanks to this idiot twin of mine who had to pretend he was me and even agreed to give up Sara to punks like Sakiya I have to say this. If we don't win this not only G here will lose Sara over some stupid bet but we would be the laughing stock of the entire surfing scene."

Daichi and Kengo turned to each other, silent at first, but at the same time they felt a change within their champion best friend. "Looks like the _one-week girlfriend _trend is gonna end today..."

Nagisa sighed and realized where Kaito was trying to explain. "You all may think that my feelings for Hanon is just some silly little boy crush, but my feelings for her are real. I just need to get Hanon to take me seriously... somehow. If I was able to win the heart of my ex long time ago then I would be able to with Hanon. But I know Hanon is different so I have to work this in a different way."

"Gaito and Sara are already in a relationship so I'm sure they'll do well with tandem surfing," Kaito continued on. "I have to get serious if I'm going to do this tandem surfing too. The thing is... I'm just not interested in anybody..."

Masahiro sighed and straightened his eyeglasses. "That can mean one thing, Kaito. Find the right girl, fall in love, and be her boyfriend before the tournament starts. You've only got two months to find her."

"You make it sound so easy, Masahiro," Gaito began his statement. "Falling in love is not a project with deadlines, man. It's a lot deeper than that and it takes a lot of time. It can take a month or two... maybe even years. It took me three years to get Sara's attention right after she broke up with her ex and it's no fun and games." He turned to Kaito and faced him with concern. "Kaito, you don't have to do this. We can probably just find another surfer boy who isn't in the team and just pray he's got a girlfriend to do this tandem surfing."

Kaito shook his head and gazed his eyes towards each member of the tribe. "I'm gonna do it, G. We don't have time to look for another surfer to join the team. I want to sweep this tournament just as much as you do and probably the entire town too. I want to rub that smirk off of Sakiya's face once we meet at the tournament. I'll find her, G. Just watch me."

Silence fell within the team as Nagisa wrote the three couples to form their tandem surf team: _Nagisa and Hanon (?)... Gaito and Sara... Kaito and (?)..._

"Okay, we're all set!" Nagisa cheered and handed the notes to Gaito.

Before Gaito was about to adjourn the meeting Kaito interrupted. "One more thing before we end the little meeting, G."

"Hm? What's that, little brother?" Gaito asked curiously while the others gave their attention towards the younger twin.

"We need a new name. I'm kinda getting tired of the name _Rainbowside Surf Tribe_. I don't know... it's not... it's not convincing enough."

"Oh?" Gaito found interest in Kaito's new proposition. "Then again that name has been around since each of us came to existence. What made you suggest for a new name?"

"I don't know... I just feel like if we're going to win this whole surf scenes tournament thing at least we need to have one name—- not just for us but for our female surfers, our band, our tandem surf team, and I also think whoever our beach babe is going to be deserves a spot in the name too. I think with a new name it would make all of us look more united."

The entire team went back to their contemplative mode to see if a name change would be more appropriate prior to entering their names to the tournament officials. What was wrong with _Rainbowside Surf Tribe_? How is the name not convincing? On the other hand Kaito did have a point too.

"I haven't come up with a name yet," Kaito added, "but I want to take that task too."

Nagisa yawned and sighed. "Just who on earth came up with _Rainbowside Surf Tribe _anyway? Is it because it's sorta related to our town name? I guess Kaito's right. The name's too long, not cool enough, and with the word _rainbow_ in there it makes us look like wimps. We need a name that has meaning."

"A lot more _umph _too," Masahiro added. "Something intimidating and something that's right in your face."

"Something... uhh... something that would seriously stick in your mind," Nagisa added another idea. "Man, this is hard... we've got too many problems to deal with just to get in to this tournament. Who comes up with stuff like this anyway? I think this whole female surfers, surf band, tandem surfing thing are just a waste of time."

"Dare to be different, as they say," Masahiro preached in response. "But hey, I think this would be fun. It's good we got something like this so we can prove the world that Nijibe isn't about hot and handsome champion surfers like us, but our babes and our non-surfer peeps deserve recognition too."

Kaito nodded, still looking confident. "Look, you guys stick to what you guys need to do as we planned. I'll take care of the name change. I'll come up with something." The team gazed at each other and provided their agreement and consent to the name change idea.

"Okay, meeting adjourned." Gaito ended the meeting as they all stood up from their spots and took down their surfboards to show the public that their private team meeting was over. They agreed to start with their assigned tasks today as they had no time to waste.

Kaito showed himself to the public after the meeting. He was already anticipating that the fan girls would approach him abruptly. At the moment he began to scan around the beach to see if there would be any girl he may be interested in getting to know more. He admitted that the _one-week girlfriend _idea he started a few years ago was fun while it lasted, but somehow something came on to him that made him change to a different view regarding girls altogether.

And at that point the image of the mysterious Lucia Nanami appeared in his vision. He gazed at his right hand again, recalling the rush earlier today where he took Lucia's hand and led her to his path to the beach. He even realized that Lucia did not complain regarding his decision on how he can get to the beach without getting caught up by the fan girl stampede. At the same time he realized that Lucia looked at him straight through the eyes and quickly knew what he intended to do next. They both jumped over the low fence and landed on the sand on foot with neither of them stumbling on the ground. Somehow that moment gave Kaito the idea that he and Lucia were temporarily connected to each other. The only problem now was how were he and Lucia connected?

While going through his collected thoughts he could hear several girls calling out for his name. _Oh well. I can't help it if I'm that attractive. I wonder if I'll be able to find a girl who would like me for who I am, not for my looks or my reputation..._

In the meantime Hanon and Rina joined Lucia at her rocky spot at the beach. Hanon still continued to persuade Lucia to gather her courage to introduce herself in person to Kaito. Lucia still lacked confidence and the courage to break through her shell and face the handsome surfer boy with a simple hello. Rina also attempted to provide comfort and confidence to the confused Lucia except her approach took more time than Hanon's crash course.

As they continued to talk Lucia spotted Kaito with his wetsuit halfway open and carrying his surfboard on one arm from the distance. Though there were a number of fan girls conversing with him Lucia somehow felt this huge brimming of energy within her, signaling to her that she had no time to waste just sitting far away and watch him without saying a single word. Hanon and Rina were right, she thought. This summer should be _the _summer. She would have to use all the courage and confidence she possessed to face Kaito one on one for the very first time.

"That's right, Lucia," Hanon said after Lucia explained to her what she wanted to do just now. "Here's your chance--- show Kaito who you really are. You can do it, Lucia. Even the stars of Nijibe are cheering for you! You and Kaito Doumoto are meant to be together!"

Lucia chuckled nervously and pumped her fist upright. "I'm gonna do it, you guys! I'll march up to him and say hi and maybe we can pick up from there. I just... I just felt this energy within me... telling me that Kaito would want to make a new friend this summer. I want to be that new friend, Hanon, Rina."

"Good for you," Rina winked along with a thumbs up. "Now go!"

"Right!" Lucia stood up and jumped over her rocks to get to the front area. She approached to where Kaito was standing, ignoring the fan girls she passed by with some making snide remarks about her and her appearance. Hanon and Rina followed her from behind to witness this moment.

Just as she was getting close Kaito quickly broke from the fan girls chatting with him, zipped up his wetsuit, and was about to head off to the water. While the fan girls made their way out Lucia continued to run after him. She called out to him as loud as she can to overcome the loud sounds that the waves were making as they broke.

"Doumoto! Wait up!" Lucia called, referring to Kaito by his last name first. She wanted to gain his respect and trust first before she can make a move by calling his first name.

Kaito stopped right when he heard Lucia calling his name--- last name even. Slowly he turned his head and spotted Lucia standing right behind him with the wind blowing through her dark blond hair and her red ribbons on her hair. Deep within somehow he felt a lot more respect coming from the girl in his homeroom class whom he never had an open conversation with before just by calling him by his last name. For Kaito, that was a good sign.

"Ride... ride..." Lucia murmured those same words she shouted, trying to keep cool and not look like she was confused or lost.

Right when she spoke those two words Kaito caught them with his ear. He gave a thumbs up, a smile, and a wink simultaneously right at Lucia to show her that he heard those words she spoke. Lucia smiled happily seeing the thumb up, his signature wink, and his alluring smile as Kaito proceeded to the ocean, rowing his surfboard until he found his perfect wave to ride on.

Lucia could not believe her eyes at Kaito's acknowledgement of her presence with the familiar wink, smile, and thumbs up gesture she always loved from him whether he was acknowledging his fellow surfers or the audience cheering and supporting him. Little by little from holding hands and jumping over the fence to just receiving a wink, a smile and a thumbs up became a collector's item for her. So what if she only received those two gestures coming from him? Most girls she knew around town demanded more from him and would do anything just to get a piece of the mesmerizing surfer.

Hanon dashed right next to Lucia with a grin on her face. "Lucia--- do you know what that means?"

Lucia turned her head towards Hanon, looking curious. "What are you talking about?"

"I saw that, Lucia!" Hanon winked and nudged her on the side. "Kaito winked, smiled, and gave you a thumbs up!"

"But Hanon," Lucia responded. "Kaito always does that before he takes on the waves whether if it was just practice or in the tournament. He always gives a wink, a smile, and a thumbs up to everybody."

"I know that, Lucia, but see, you were alone! Where are all the stupid fan girls? They weren't here! He saw you. You caught his attention. You shouted _ride_! And he winked at you--- smiled at you--- and a thumbs up!"

Rina caught up with the two girls, overhearing the conversation. She snickered at Hanon's attempt to convince Lucia that Kaito's small gesture may be major signs of interest and possibly attraction. "Hanon, a wink, a smile and a thumbs up doesn't mean anything. He always does that to anybody who cheers and supports him. I don't see anything different about this one."

"Rina! This is history made to any girl who dreams of having a special romantic relationship with Kaito Doumoto, okay?" Hanon continued on with her enthusiasm. "Yes, I know he always does that same gesture but he always does that to a huge crowd of people. Today, he gave all that to Lucia--- _alone_! You hear me Rina? The thumbs up, the wink, and the smile were all _for _Lucia!"

"Okay Hanon, whatever you say." Rina grinned and turned her attention to the sea where the rest of the surfers make their wild ride.

As for Lucia, it did not matter if Kaito's signature gesture was directed only at her. She wanted to speak to him about anything. It did not have to be about surfing or himself or even their classes together since they were in the same homeroom class. It can be about anything. But the matter of greeting and speaking to him would be her first baby step to building a form of relationship with a boy like Kaito Doumoto.

"I love surfing." Lucia broke the silence which gathered Hanon's and Rina's attention to her. "I know I can't surf myself but the sport itself rules."

Hanon raised an eyebrow with a curious mind. "What are you babbling about now, Lucia?"

Lucia turned to Hanon and smiled humbly. "Can't you feel the wild adrenaline rush pumping rapidly inside you? When you row your board all the way to the breakers and catch your wave you would surely feel that you rule the world, both the land and the sea. My parents used to tell me crazy stories about just being out at the sea. Sometimes they made me convinced to believe that the sea itself is alive. It's not just a giant body of flowing water with other lifeforms living underneath. The waters are living things. They have voices in the form of clashing waves and the formation of the swell and the time it takes to roll in and roll out to the shore. If you listen carefully without any distractions you'll hear what the waters are trying to say to you. Sometimes it even gives you signals from the swell patterns to the measurements of the breakers as its way to pass on their message. Right now with the breakers this huge the ocean is calling out to all surfers, rookie to king, giving them a major challenge. _I dare you to ride my breakers, all you surfers. Show me what you're made of_!"

Hanon chuckled, shaking her head at the same time. "You really are a weirdo, Lucia. No wonder you haven't had any luck with guys, seriously. You think the ocean's talking to you? Who the heck thinks of that?"

"Preach on, Lucia!" Rina cheered with a smirk on her face. "That's one thing I like about you, girl. You're not like the other Kaito-loving girls out there. You actually appreciate the sport itself."

"If I didn't like surfing I wouldn't be out here at the beach, Rina. Besides, if it weren't for my love of surfing... I would have never discovered Kaito Doumoto as a surfer. I mean... I saw him for the first time in the summer not too long before my family moved here. I saw him as a surfer way before I saw him as my homeroom classmate. Okay, so he's hot and attractive and he knows it but that wasn't the reason why he caught my eye, guys..." She continued to gaze at Kaito from afar when a familiar tune in her head began to play. The intensity of that tune somehow gave Lucia a bit of a pump to burst herself out in public.

"Besides, a song is already playing in my mind right now."

Hanon's eyes widened, knowing one of Lucia's personal quirks was already playing a role within Lucia's enthusiasm. "Oh no... not one of your crazy mental songs again... Lucia! Not in public!"

Lucia paid no attention Hanon's concern knowing that Rina was the only person who actually appreciated her unusual mental songwriting habit. Rina felt more familiar with Lucia than with any other girl knowing that any type of unusual quirk within them sets them apart from everyone else. She could not wait to hear what Lucia was about to sing from out of the blue.

"Listen, Rina. This is what I'm hearing in my mind now!" Lucia grinned with her attention towards Rina and began to clap her hands to form her own fast-paced beat. After a certain number of beats she began to sing.

_Well I look at the breakers, they were rollin' in fast_

_I knew I better make it cause they just don't last_

_I'm surfin', swingin' and a surfin'_

_Oh the sand and the sea is the only life for me_

_Just surfin'... Yeah, I'm surfin'_

Hanon raised an eyebrow in uncertainty with her arms crossed. "Oh great, Lucia. You're singing about surfing? Who on earth sings about surfing?"

"I do!" Rina chuckled at Hanon and turned to Lucia. "I got a verse! Let me join, Lucia!"

"Go for it!" Lucia giggled and continued her beat-clapping for Rina's added verse.

_When I darted from my board, gonna have me a ball_

_I thought I couldn't ride and that ain't all_

_I'm surfin', swingin' and a surfin'_

_Oh the sand and the sea is the only life for me_

_Just surfin'... Yeah, I'm surfin'_

Lucia and Rina laughed and exchanged hi-fives while Hanon restrained herself from laughing at the two girls at that point. She remained her composure as she watched both Lucia and Rina doing their beat-clapping, unaware that their singing and their pattern clapping caught attention of beach goers nearby and in addition the surfers from the tribe reaching the shore.

"I got another verse, Rina!" Lucia exclaimed and sang her new verse.

_When I went to the beach where the dudes played tricks_

_I rode a breaker in, gonna get my kicks_

_I'm surfin'... swingin' and a surfin'_

Before Lucia was about to sing the last two lines Rina joined in to sing a duet vocal.

_Oh the sand and the sea is the only life for me_

_Just surfin'... Yeah, I'm surfin'_

Right at that moment the witnesses who gave attention to the two girls clapping, singing, and even dancing a little joined in with the pattern clapping. Lucia and Rina noticed the attention they received and also realized that the surfers out at the ocean no longer receiving any attention to those at the shore. Hanon, on the other hand, covered her face in embarrassment.

Nagisa and Masahiro touched the shore after their long ride out in the ocean and noticed Daichi and Kengo, who had been resting at the sand, watching Lucia and Rina performing their freestyle singing and clapping from a good distance. Nagisa was the first to listen to the song and the clapping and dragged Masahiro with him.

"What? What?" Masahiro blinked in curiosity as Nagisa pointed his finger towards Lucia and Rina's direction. The tall dark-haired Masahiro followed Nagisa's finger and directly stared at Lucia and Rina making up song verses related to surfing in general. _Whoa... I didn't know Rina Touin can sing..._

"Hey... isn't that Nanami's older sister and Rina Touin...?" Nagisa wondered curiously and also caught Hanon standing still, looking embarrassed at her friends. _Hanon... is embarrassed? I think her friends are cool like that..._

"Dang," Daichi spoke in the conversation. "Who would have thought boring Lucia Nanami can actually sing... she's not even in the school choir or something."

Moments later Gaito arrived from his ride and joined the rest of his team. "What's going on here? What are you looking at?" The boys quickly pointed their fingers towards Lucia and Rina and Gaito followed their fingers and watched the girls from afar.

"What do you know... someone is singing an anthem about the sport. Now this is interesting..."

At that time Kaito reached the shore and found his group of friends watching towards a particular scene and wanted to see what it was about. Just as he was about to dash his way to their spot he was immediately stopped by two of his school's popular girls, known to everyone as the _Rainbow Pop Girls_. Hanon was an original member of these group of girls until she had a sudden change of heart after her _one-week girlfriend _moment with Kaito. She left the _Rainbow Pop Girls_ to find better and most of all, real friends. She found the qualities she was looking for in Lucia Nanami and Rina Touin. Though the two were not exactly well-liked by her former crew, with Lucia being referred to as _Lucia the Loser Nanami_, Hanon knew within that having Lucia and Rina as friends would make her a better person altogether.

The two Rainbow Pop Girls embossed themselves against Kaito with their arms around each of his arm as if Kaito was their own life support. The surfer clung on to his surfboard on one arm to show his disinterest in making small talk at this point. "Kaito--- where are you going? You don't even say hi to us anymore!"

Kaito raised an eyebrow of suspicion towards these two familiar girls. He did not even bother trying to recognize them if he actually had _one-week girlfriend _sessions with any one of them but for these past days he felt that every single girl he dated was the same as the one before. He did not struggle at first but instead began a light conversation.

"What do you want...?" Kaito asked curiously.

"You, Kaito, who else?" The other girl clinging on to his surfboard-occupied arm answered. "You seem really tired and exhausted from your surfing out there so we thought that we'd help you get comfortable! What do you say, Kaito?"

The surfer boy learned a lot of lessons from his past experiences and thanks to those out of control experiences he felt that he had wised up this year. He vowed to himself that he would not let the opposite sex control him and please them as they asked. He wanted to know what the fuss was about on shore and why his entire tribe, along with his twin Gaito, were fascinated with whatever it was they were watching. He had to get there fast before that something ends.

"Really?" Kaito played along with the girls. The two girls giggled and nodded excitedly and he snickered in return. "Good. Hang on to my board for me." Quickly he shoved his surfboard to one of the girls and ran off from them. "Take care of it!" He saluted to the two and ran to his tribe.

"About time you arrive," Gaito responded to his twin. "You really need to learn how to get to us earlier than that. Lately you've been always the last person to show up."

"Very funny, Gaito," Kaito glared and found his place next to Daichi and Kengo. "So what are you dudes staring at?"

"Um, Kaito," Kengo spoke first. "Were you aware that Nanami and Touin can sing?"

Kaito shook his head. "Not that I know of. Why?" The surfers pointed their fingers again as Kaito turned his head to where Lucia, Rina, and those who joined their freestyle singing, clapping, and snapping. Just then he gave complete focus and attention to what was happening at that scene.

Back to the crowd after the random dancing from the witnesses with Lucia and Rina providing the beat clapping and snapping they finish their freestyle singing with their last verse:

_I met a handsome dude and he asked me for a date_

_He said, "Come on, baby, you can watch your board later"_

_I'm surfin'... swingin' and a surfin'_

_Oh the sand and the sea is the only life for me_

_Just surfin'... Yeah, I'm surfin'..._

_Yeah! surfin' with the dudes, I'm surfin'_

_Oh the sand and the sea is the only life for me_

_Just surfin'... Yeah, I'm surfin'..._

_Well, I'm surfin'... Yeah, I'm surfin'... Just surfin'..._

After the singing was over those who watched the girls go freestyle applauded as Lucia and Rina exchanged hi-fives again, then an embrace. Hanon stepped forward to them with a grin on her face.

"Okay--- so everybody here thinks you're cool doing that crazy freestyle singing you guys did. That doesn't mean the Rainbow Pop Girls and the Rainbowside Surf Tribe are just gonna say the same! I personally think you two are a bunch of weirdos, really!"

Rina snickered towards Hanon and answered. "Hanon, you should ditch this whole Rainbow Pop Girls thing because they're history. You need to be more open-minded, you know."

"I still think your freestyling is really cool and all, Rina, don't get me wrong, but in public--- and in front of Kaito and the surfer boys and the Rainbow Pop Girls--- and even the entire Kaito Doumoto Fan Club? Have you two gone insane? I mean here's your chance to seriously stand out throughout the entire town and you guys blew it!" Quickly she turned her head and made the same statement towards Lucia. "And you, Lucia! Your one and only chance with the hottest surfer dude in the entire town--- today--- you seriously blew it! Kaito is very selective with the girls, you know? You'd think he'd want to go out with a girl who spontaneously sings from out of the blue--- and in public, no doubt?"

"But Hanon, I..." Lucia wanted to answer how she felt when Rina interrupted quickly.

"Hey, back off, Hanon! Today is _not _Lucia's one and only chance with him, okay? Tomorrow's the official first day of the summer. She's got plenty of chances with him, so give it a rest."

"Look," Lucia began her statement. "What Rina and I sang today--- it felt wonderful. I can't help it if I feel very connected to the beach, the ocean, and the adrenaline rush that the surfers are going through while riding on their waves. This is the open beach, Hanon--- the open beach! And it's not like I'm desperate to be with him. I just want to be his friend---"

Before Lucia ended her statement a voice broke through the conversation. "Hey! Can we talk to you for a sec?"

The three girls looked up and spotted Masahiro and Nagisa calling for them. Hanon sighed in annoyance while Lucia and Rina stood still, waiting for them to arrive. "Masahiro! Nagisa! What's up?" Hanon asked curiously.

"Can you give us a few, Hanon?" Nagisa answered with a smile on his face. "We just wanna talk to your friends."

"Oh..." Hanon blinked in surprise as the two surfers turned to Lucia and Rina.

"Hey Nanami," Nagisa began. "I was wondering--- you guys are really awesome with that freestyle singing you did earlier! I like the song too--- it's like... a surfer's anthem!"

Lucia chuckled softly while Rina gave a small smile and shrugged. "Thanks. That was just... out of the blue, you know?"

"I was wondering if you girls are---" Just as Nagisa was getting to the point Masahiro jumped in.

"--- are you surfer girls?"

Lucia and Rina froze right when the question was popped up. Sure, both were surfing enthusiasts and were already classified as hardcore fans of the water sport, but of all the questions anyone would ask of them, surfer girls?

"Well, we heard every single word that you girls sang... and to us it sounded like you girls know what you're talking about. We've never met a girl who knows a lot about surfing... until today that is," Masahiro continued.

Nagisa jumped in quickly and moved forward with his question. "No, that's not what I wanted to ask! Nanami, Touin, are you girls part of a surf band? I mean that song seriously rocks and it's fast-paced too with all the clapping and stuff! I mean you guys have gotta be in a surf band--- aren't you Hiroki Nanami's sister?"

Lucia chuckled nervously and said "Well, you see, Hippo---"

"Hard to say." Rina immediately answered with a snicker on her face.

Masahiro sounded a bit more desperate. "Then you two are surfer girls--- girls who surf--- aren't you?"

"No!" Nagisa shouted. "Surf band! I've never seen these two actually surf but they rock at singing and making those beats and stuff! Say you girls are in a surf band---"

Hanon interrupted with annoyance within her. "Look, you two, are you here to talk to my friends or are you labeling them as someone they're not? Surfer girls... surf band members... what the heck is all this?"

"Wow, this is just way too flattering," Rina snickered as she and Lucia reached for their schoolbags. In just a few minutes their shifts at Pearl Waters were about to start and that Lucia's older sister and aunt, Nicola and Taki Nanami, had to drive out to the train station to pick up Lucia's fresh-from-graduate school musician cousin, Taro Mitsuki. Both Lucia and Rina promised Hippo to open Pearl Waters while they were away. "Hey, listen, thanks for all the compliments and stuff but Lucia and I are gonna head out now---"

"Yeah, sorry guys," Lucia confirmed with a nervous smile on her face. "Thanks for everything but we gotta go now!"

"Um, yeah!" Hanon exclaimed and also ran to her schoolbag. "I work tonight too, so... we'll be going now---"

"Hanon, wait up!" Another voice joined in the rather messy conversation in which Hanon immediately gave attention to. In fact, it was the particular male voice Hanon was still in love with even if they did not converse as they used to before ever since their one week moment together. Nevertheless she still looked up to him with utter respect.

"Kaito?" Hanon wondered curiously as the tall, brown-eyed dark blond surfer boy appeared right in front of her. "Hi! What's up?"

_Kaito?! _Lucia's voice shrieked within her and began rushing to pick up her things. "Hurry, Rina, we're gonna be late---"

"What's the rush, Lucia? We still got thirty minutes," Rina chuckled when she caught the eye of Kaito Doumoto present in front of Hanon. "Hm?" Right away she turned her head to witness what was going on.

"Hanon..." Kaito murmured the daffy blue-haired girl's name. "I was wondering..."

"What is it, Kaito? Spill," Hanon giggled while gazing her eyes towards him.

"I was wondering if your friends don't mind me talking to them?"

Hanon felt a hammer nailing her heart through right when Kaito asked permission. "Oh Kaito, you silly. Why are you asking me permission? It's not like I'm their guardian or something. Go ahead!"

Kaito patted Hanon on the shoulder with a grin on his face. "You rule, Hanon!" Right then he ran past her and reached both Lucia and Rina just as they were about to head back to the street.

Lucia felt her legs completely frozen just as she found Kaito standing right in front of her. "Wait... can we... talk?"

Rina's grin became wider and gave a small wink towards Lucia. "I'll go ahead and start opening Pearl Waters with Hippo. See you there!"

"Rina, wait--- don't... don't leave me..." Lucia quickly reacted nervously as she watched Rina wave at her and made her way across the street. _Don't leave me here with him, Rina... I'm... I'm not ready to face him yet..._ As Rina's vision faded at the distance Lucia knew she had to suck it up and face the boy whom she hoped she can call her own. "Doumoto... um... hi!" She sighed deeply and lowered her head. _Good going, Lucia. Real smooth..._

Kaito approached Lucia a few feet closer to her and began their very first conversation after a few years of being in the same homeroom class since late elementary school. "I... I didn't know you could sing... like that..."

Lucia gulped nervously but had to be quick to answer to what he just said. "Well... it's... one of my... um... hidden hobbies..."

"Then... what Nagisa was asking you earlier... are you part of a surf band?"

"Surf band? Well, I... it's just that... it's all work... yeah, work!"

Kaito quickly scratched his head, not because his head was itchy but like Lucia he could feel a bit of nervousness crawling within him. "Work?"

"Um... yeah... I sing... occasionally... with my brother and the band every Friday nights at Pearl Waters... but I... I wouldn't really necessary call it a surf band since we play all kinds of music... depending on the mood, I guess."

Kaito nodded, understanding Lucia's explanation regarding the surf band part. He was indeed sure that Lucia was no surfer girl either or else he would have known about it a long time ago. On the other hand Kaito did not know anything about Lucia at all. He admitted to himself that he had a very strong, dominating sex appeal that called out as many females of almost any age throughout Nijibe to him, which gave him a chance to get to know as many of the females as she can. He was not expecting Lucia to be one of those girls but to him it would not be fair that he knew nothing about Hanon's mysterious friend. The only thing he knew about Lucia was that her family owns Pearl Waters and that she is Hanon and Rina's friend. He already knew as much information as he can about Rina aside from being the tomboy of the school, but at this point Lucia seemed to have a certain accent about there that interested him. He was not sure what that particular accent that may be but right now it was her freestyle singing that got him interested in her.

"I'm wondering... I'm wondering... how often do you get in the mood of singing about surfing... it's just that I've never heard a song like that ever, not even around the beaches in this town."

Lucia felt that somehow she was able to get Kaito's attention at that moment. She felt that Hanon's concern was dead wrong and that she needed to use this opportunity to make Kaito become more interested in her as a person and possibly a new friend. "Oh, stuff like that just comes out on a whim. Rina and I were just being spontaneous, silly, and dumb, so it's really nothing..."

"No," Kaito reacted quickly. "I really like it... the song and how you guys sang it... I hoped maybe... maybe... you would sing more songs like that..."

"You think so?" Lucia gasped excitedly but at the same time tried to keep her cool composure. "Well... um... I'll try--- we'll try, that is! I think the surfing scene is the coolest scene ever, especially if you live in a beach side town like Nijibe, you know? Sure I can't surf because I've never really learned how but I've been one of the biggest surfing fans in this town. I go to as many tournaments as I can to watch you guys and cheer you on and give my full support. Nijibe surfers represent!" To keep herself from breaking apart from nervousness she pumped her fist of victory afterwards.

Silence fell as Kaito just gazed at Lucia's rather silly pose. After a few moments both Kaito and Lucia burst in to laughter. She lowered her arm down and placed both her hands behind her and ended her laughter. "Well... I guess I should get going now. I have to open Pearl Waters and all and... your girlfriend's probably looking for you right now."

_Girlfriend? _Kaito raised an eyebrow in suspicion just as he heard the somewhat forbidden word in his vocabulary. Lucia was indeed different from the girls he got involved with in the past; even way more different than Hanon. He chuckled at Lucia's remark and answered. "No, I don't have a girlfriend. Well... not yet anyway."

"Oh!" Lucia chuckled in return. "My bad! I mean a guy as kind and sweet as you must have a girlfriend."

Kaito humbly shook his head. "No girl would ever say that I'm kind and sweet. You're actually... the first one."

Lucia found herself blushing even more that she was afraid to lose control of herself. Luckily for her Hanon arrived with her schoolbag on her hand. She appeared grinning as she was about to meet Lucia and Kaito on the way.

"Oh, Hanon," Lucia greeted her friend with a shaky tone. "Glad you're here. We should go---"

"Oh I'm going on ahead," Hanon quickly responded with a wink on her eye. "I know I'm actually off tonight but I'll be bored at home, so I'm gonna work an extra shift tonight."

Lucia began to feel that there may be a conspiracy about to come once she headed back to Pearl Waters in a minute. "You... you are?"

Hanon continued to snicker and patted Lucia on her shoulder. "You've been working too much, Lucia. I know your family owns the place but you need to take a break sometimes. Besides, I got plenty of time to ask for a day off anyway. I'll cover your shift tonight. I'll explain it to Hippo and Nicola when I get there."

"But Hanon..."

Hanon giggled and turned towards Kaito. "Well Kaito, I'm gonna head to work now. If you want to stop by Pearl Waters is just across the street. Take care of Lucia, okay?"

"Hanon!" Lucia shrieked in surprised and hid her face by lowering her head face down.

Kaito chuckled in return. "You know you can trust me, Hanon. See you around."

"Bye now, Lucia! You two take care... if you know what I mean." Hanon winked once again and dashed away giggling at the same time.

Lucia took a deep breath and laughed nervously, trying to keep herself calm and cool. "I know this is really awkward and all but um... I'm pretty sure you have plans later tonight with your dudes and... all that... right?"

Kaito lowered himself to the sand and sat with legs crossed. He patted the empty space next to him, inviting Lucia to sit with him for awhile. Lucia smiled and accepted his invitation by sitting down next to him. At the same time she continued to remind herself that her goal for today with Kaito is earn his friendship. There was plenty of time for her to continue dreaming of the day she and Kaito discover true love with each other and tie their love officially. That can happen later on. Today was not the right day and Lucia knew it.

"The dudes are moving in for the summer at our place later today. Gaito and I are supposed to help them out but it looks like the guys got some things covered." Kaito answered, looking right across towards the ocean. He took the towel around his shoulder and wiped his hair dry at the same time. "Gaito and I only live just two blocks from Pearl Waters. You can't miss it. It's a two-story white house with an entire glass window wall at the front, plus our last name is at the gateway. If you want to come and visit you're always welcome to. We're practically neighbors!"

Lucia felt her heart beating rapidly. She could not believe that Kaito had just given the location of his home to her. On the other hand she thought that all of his _one-week ex-girlfriends _probably knew where he lived. Hanon was definitely no exception but Lucia did not want to go to that route just yet. "Thank you. I'll be sure to let you or your dudes know!"

Kaito nodded with a small smile on his face. He continued on with this short conversation while he still continued to watch some of his friends riding the wild surf out at the ocean. "Well, since you're one of the very few girls who are hardcore surfing fans I'm pretty sure you've already heard about this new tournament coming up in a few months from today."

"The first annual Regional Surf Scenes Tournament, right?" Lucia asked curiously. She was pretty sure this was the tournament that Kaito was asking about. "I've heard a little bit of it. Hippo knows more about it since he takes ocean and surfing photos as his hobby and is subscribed to surfing magazines too in hopes that he would get to submit his photos for publication, but anyway. What's so different about it?"

Right at that moment Lucia finally found a way to lose her inner worries. She felt blessed that she was also quite heavy and knowledgeable with the sport of surfing that she can finally break the ice between her and the boy of her dreams. At the same time Kaito also found a way to break the ice with Lucia knowing he too was a bit nervous with her. The tension that was building up within him was unusual for Kaito as he was always direct, straight, and open whenever he communicates with any girl he wanted to meet. On the other hand it was easy for him to interact with females with some similar qualities as he, but with Lucia it was a whole different ballgame with him.

"For one thing it's a team tournament. We were used to enter individual competition tournaments and we barely enter any contests which the rankings are by team and not by individual surfers. This particular one isn't an all-male team tournament. We have to have more in order to enter--- a female three-member surf team, a surf band, a really hot girl who can represent us in a beauty pageant segment, and the hardest of all--- a three-couple tandem surfer team. We only have two months to assemble all of them or else we can't enter and compete. The Seiyo Valley surfers are going to be participating in this one and they threw us a challenge. You've... heard of those surfers, have you?"

_Definitely, Kaito_, Lucia's voice spoke within her. Now she felt that the ice was shattered. "Kousuke Sakiya, right?"

Kaito raised an eyebrow in amazement. "You have heard of them..."

"Who doesn't? I mean... Kousuke Sakiya is probably the perfect match against you according to the magazines and all the other interviews and all. He's like the Seiyo Valley version of you. He's fast and intricate in his rides and he's quite popular with the ladies too. Just... thinking about it... it's just scary..."

Kaito fell silent for a few moments wondering how much Lucia knew about his surfing rival. From out of nowhere he made an assumption. "He's not your boyfriend... is he?"

_What? He thinks that loser Sakiya is my boyfriend? Where did he get that idea? _Lucia was tempted to laugh but instead she continued to keep herself cool as always. "What makes you think that he's my boyfriend? I'm not that kind of girl!"

"Sorry... it's just that you're way too nice to hang out with punks like him... is all..."

Lucia turned her head away for a few moments and smiled to herself. She felt as if Kaito showed a bit of jealousy once she mentioned her general knowledge of his rival, however she did not want to reveal more about Kousuke Sakiya and her more or less connection towards him. She did not want to make Kaito think that she was somewhat desperate for _protection _whenever she attended these surf meets and Kousuke Sakiya catching up to her and attempt to make passes at her. During the first attempts she was able to avoid him, but the more she avoided him the more he became persistent to get her attention. At one point she even had Hanon and Rina come along with her but her two friends also ended up as two more of Sakiya's attempts. She even had younger brother Hippo stay with her instead of him wandering around the beach to take his photos but even the younger brother's strict personality did not phase the rival surfing champion.

"Lucia..."

Eyes opened wide right when Lucia listened to Kaito's gentle voice calling her name. She turned her head towards him while making sure she did not burst in to some crazy behavior that would scare him off. _You called me... by my first name..._ Quickly she shook her head to avoid those thoughts playing in her mind.

"Are you alright?"

Lucia laughed with a slight tremble. "Sorry... I just have... a lot of things in my mind, that's all... the thing with Sakiya and this crazy surf scenes tournament and all... don't worry about a thing about me, Doumoto, I'm all good!" She continued to laugh to ease the tense inside her. Luckily for her she hoped Kaito would buy that excuse because his presence and his approach at her was the only thing that was causing the tension inside of her.

"Kaito." The surfer boy answered right then, which made Lucia fall silent. "Call me Kaito."

"Right... I forgot. I don't want you and your brother get all confused when I call you by your last name... it's a habit. Sorry about that!" Right then Lucia stood up realizing that she had been staying out at the beach too long and that she was supposed to open up Pearl Waters with Hippo and Rina even if Hanon insisted she would help them instead. "Well, look at the time!"

Kaito stood up along with her and right then he realized how much he kept his eyes at her while switching his view from the sea and back to her. Just at first sight he cannot imagine a girl like Lucia become a _one-week girlfriend_ right then because of her broad knowledge of his personal first love and that despite of her plain appearance that she spoke the same language as him. She did not seem to be the romantic type as well but he did not want to assume that about her. Even if it was for a short time he felt a lot more relaxed talking to Lucia than with any other girl only because he can openly talk about his love of surfing to someone who would actually listen and understand all at once.

"I'll... bring you home... if you like..." Kaito sighed with a rather shy smile on his face.

Lucia chuckled at his reaction, feeling a lot more at ease than ever. "It's only there across the street from here... unless you and your dudes want to hang out at Pearl Waters for awhile. Nothing really special is happening at the restaurant tonight except that my cousin's moving in from the South."

"Oh... of course..." Kaito chuckled along. "Well, before you go then, I'm just wondering if you can... help us a bit."

Lucia gazed at Kaito through his sultry brown eyes and still battling her tension at once. "Help? Sure thing. Is it in regards to the upcoming surf scenes tournament?"

"I know it's kinda stupid asking you but I figured you knew so much about what's what and who's who in today's surfing scene so I thought you may know anybody who can help us get in to that tournament."

"No. Not at all. I'll be glad to help. I'll do my best though." Lucia remained smiling comfortably, making sure she was not making Kaito nervous or anything else.

"Surfer girls... and a surf band... or if you know any girls who may be interested in forming up a tandem surf team..."

"Ah, gotcha!" Lucia answered with a nod. "I'll ask around the Pearl Waters staff... my sister... Hippo... I'm sure they know some people. I'll stop by the beach tomorrow morning--- or maybe I can come over your place too--- well, whenever I get any news. Besides, it'd be totally awesome if we sweep the entire tournament so we gotta form a seriously rockin' team!"

Kaito winked and gave a thumbs up just like his earlier gesture to her before. "Thanks, Lucia! You rule!"

"Always welcome, Kaito!"

The two exchanged laughter and their goodbyes as Lucia ran across the street to Pearl Waters Restaurant. Kaito watched after Lucia to be sure she arrived at the door safely even if it was just across the street. As he watched her the rest of the surf tribe arrived on spot looking curious at what had just happened.

"Dude..." Kengo was the first to break the silence. "Kaito... was that Nanami that I just saw with you?"

Kaito turned and joined his twin and his friends. "So? What of it?"

Daichi scratched his head, showing confusion. "Kaito, we never really imagined you would actually talk to a girl like Nanami from out of the blue like that. I thought you had personal standards when it comes to girls?"

Kaito shook his head and shrugged his arms. "I still have personal standards when it comes to girls, but what's that got to do with Lucia?"

Both Daichi and Kengo gasped in shock right when he mentioned the first name while Masahiro joined in the conversation. "Lucia, eh? What happened between the two of you there? I thought you'd only refer girls by their first names if you're interested in them--- like those potential _one-week girlfriends_ that you had in the past?"

"Uh, because I don't want her and her brother get confused by calling them by their last name? Why are you dudes concerned about her? She didn't do anything wrong!" Kaito turned his head around in annoyance and led his friends back to their spot where they gather their things and make their way back home.

"Don't look at me, Kaito, I didn't say anything," Gaito answered. "These dudes here were just surprised to see you talk to someone who isn't one of the Rainbow Pop Girls--- or even your fan club."

Kaito rolled his eyes, looking a lot more irritated than ever. "I still don't see why you guys have to make a big deal about it. Lucia is... Lucia... so what?"

Nagisa ran next to Kaito with curiosity in his eyes. "You're not gonna hook up with her, are you?"

"Why do you ask, Nagisa?" Kaito shifted his eyes towards the youngest surfer without turning his head.

"Wouldn't her brother get mad if he finds out you're hitting on her, Kaito?"

"Nagisa, what do you take me for? If anything happens I'll just deal with it. Just chill, really."

Once they cleaned up their things along with their surfboards they headed back to the streets towards the direction to where the Doumoto Residence is located. The surf tribe simply called the house as their _shack_ as part of their inner circle lingo.

"I talked to Lucia because of the song she and Touin freestyled earlier today." Kaito began explaining his reasons why he interacted with Lucia earlier. The rest of the team remained silent to listen to him. "If you guys concentrated on the lyrics of that song those two girls were pretty much talking our language. I learned that Lucia and her brother are hardcore surfing fans and they're really familiar with who's who and what's what in today's surfing scene. I asked her if she can help us a little bit about our mission for the next two months. I figured that since she knows a lot about our lifestyle and the sport itself that I thought she may know some people who can join us in competing in this tournament. I was able to gain her trust and confidence, so in other words, I just made our mission much easier than when we planned."

Gaito patted his twin on the shoulder to compliment him. "Well then, my brother, you're already ahead of us. Who would have thought the Nanamis would become invaluable to us?"

Nagisa sighed deeply. "So I guess Nanami's older sister and Rina Touin aren't surf band members. I guess I was too hopeful after all..."

Kaito snickered and patted Nagisa on the shoulder. "Little dude, we're still going to Pearl Waters tomorrow to check out their band, right? Lucia even invited us to come over too. She said she occasionally sings with the band on Friday nights."

"Then she _is _a member of that surf band!" Nagisa exclaimed happily. "I'm gonna call Seira up tomorrow when she and her sister Sara come back from their vacation. We gotta check out the band!"

"Look, let's talk about this when we get home," Gaito reminded the rest of the team. "I think it's time for us to refine our plan now that Kaito did his homework and found Lucia Nanami an asset to our tournament goals. Before you guys know it we may even accomplish these requirements next week and we get plenty of time to train. It's all about preparation, dudes!"

The team dashed their way forward as they were nearing the Doumoto Residence, or in their language, their _shack_. The twins stayed behind them with Gaito speaking first. "How is she, Kaito?"

"Who?" Kaito wondered curiously.

"You know... Lucia Nanami."

"Uh... she's fine, I guess. Why do you ask?"

Gaito walked further slowly and turned towards his twin brother. "I think she would make a really good girlfriend."

Kaito raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "What? You're gonna cheat on Sara, G?"

"Not for me, bro. For you." Quickly Gaito ran towards the gates, leaving Kaito behind.

_What on earth is he talking about? _Kaito ignored what Gaito stated earlier and turned his head behind to the direction where Pearl Waters was located.

_I wonder if your heart is already taken, Lucia Nanami..._

Meanwhile at Pearl Waters, Lucia entered the restaurant with her heart beating rapidly, catching up her breath at once. At the same time she did not even notice that her face was completely red after they exchanged her byes with Kaito Doumoto earlier today. It looked like fate was in favor of Lucia's summer mission today.

Hanon and Rina were sweeping the floors by the time Lucia arrived while Hippo was on stage checking to be sure the sound systems were working properly. Lucia remained leaning against the wall next to the entrance, still getting herself relaxed after her initial talk with her dream boy with a hand clutching right on to her chest.

"Well?" Hanon asked curiously with her broom resting against the edge of the juice bar counter. "What happened, Lucia? Spill!"

Rina took a break from the sweeping and sat on one of the juice bar seats, still grinning at the thought of her friend on the way to winning her longtime crush's heart. "Details, Lucia, details!"

Lucia stood up straight and shrieked happily. "He's the sweetest boy I've ever spoken to, you guys! I mean... he even thinks that I have a boyfriend too because he thinks I'm so nice!"

"Aw, now isn't that nice?" Rina made her statement while Hanon still looked suspicious. Hippo listened along with the girls' chit-chat but decided not to interrupt them.

"What the heck... that's a first!" Hanon exclaimed in shock. "Kaito would never assume something stupid like that to a girl he's interested in... he actually thought you had a boyfriend?"

Rina shook her head, disagreeing with Hanon's complaint. "How do you know Kaito is interested in Lucia in the first place?"

"Because he asked my permission to talk to her earlier, that's how, Rina!" Hanon answered briefly. "I mean why on earth would Kaito would do such a thing like that? Knowing him he would just walk to some cute girl he sees and just talks to them like it's all natural to him. But asking me, of all people, my permission to talk to Lucia? He didn't have to do that, seriously. He made it seem like Lucia's delicate that he needed to ask permission to speak to her... What the heck is that?"

"Then again, that was a little strange," Rina contemplated on Hanon's response, nodding in agreement.

"Gosh..." Lucia approached the dining area and sat at the edge of the stage, not noticing of Hippo's presence there. "I wonder... I mean... do you think Kaito... likes me too? I mean I gotta agree about him asking you just for him to talk to me was a little... weird..."

Hanon was still skeptical, not because she was jealous, but because she cared for Lucia too much for her to get hurt by some handsome guy leading her on. Though that have not happened to Lucia at all she can never be too sure. "I wouldn't go to that route yet, Lucia. But more importantly is that you and he finally get to talk to each other!"

Lucia began to hum another tune coming from her mind, still thinking about the talk she had with Kaito earlier. Although she was at her daffy state she never forgot the favor he asked of her regarding the upcoming surf scenes tournament. She wanted to mention about that but decided to save that piece of news later when everyone is present.

"Then again..." Lucia faded her humming and sighed. "What if Kaito finds me weird too... I just... talked so much..."

"Well of course that's natural, silly!" Hanon giggled. She took a seat next to Rina and continued with the story. "You're totally in love with Kaito so it's really easy for you to open up to him and just--- talk about anything, you know?"

"What did you two talk about anyway if I may ask?" Rina chuckled.

Lucia looked up towards Rina with stars in her eyes. "We talked about surfing!"

Hanon shrieked with shock in her eyes. "Wait--- your mission is to get him to like you even if it was just for a friend and all you two talked about was surfing? Lucia, you are in love with him! You're supposed to give him really good compliments--- like how awesome he is and how he makes your heart soar whenever you watch him ride those waves! And you ended up talking about surfing in general?"

"Don't forget that Lucia isn't like you or your Rainbow Pop Girl friends, Hanon," Rina snickered with her arms crossed.

"Rina, no girl in this town talks to Kaito about the sport itself! They always start with talking about themselves--- you know... introductions!" Hanon explained further. "Light flirting here, hello! Besides, I bet Kaito would seriously find Lucia all weird and stuff just because all she wanted to talk about was surfing in general."

Lucia interrupted with her hand raised. "We talked about his rival too, Kousuke Sakiya, so it's not just surfing in general, Hanon."

"Oh hell no." Rina glared at the sound of the rival surfer's name, immediately providing her bad visions about him. "You talked about surfing and then you talked about that conceited punk Kousuke Sakiya?"

"Oh yes! He even thought Sakiya was my boyfriend too! He's too funny!" Lucia chuckled with her hands placed on her cheeks to hide the blushing.

"I don't think that's a compliment over there, Lucia, but still... good for you." Rina grinned nervously. "So, did you guys exchanged phone numbers and stuff?"

"Even better!" Lucia jumped up to her feet from the stage. "He told me where he lives!"

Just with that remark Hippo tripped himself with the microphone wires, falling face flat on the stage floor. Quickly he turned to the girls and joined the conversation. "Kaito Doumoto told you where he lives?"

Lucia nodded, still grinning. "He only lives two blocks from here so we're practically neighbors!"

"Okay... that worries me..." Hippo gets up to his feet and fixed the wires to be sure they were out of the way. "To me that's like an invitation for you and him to... well you know..."

Lucia glared towards her brother: "You're really sick, you know that Hippo? Kaito wouldn't do something like that! He only told me where he lives because he was inviting us to come over to his place anytime--- and vice versa! I mean he already knows where I live, which is just upstairs, so it's just fair for him to let us know where he and his brother and his dudes are staying, right?"

Hippo still had suspicion in his mind and sat on the edge of the stage. "You better be careful with guys like Kaito Doumoto, Lucia. I'm not saying I don't like the guy but you may never know what his hidden agenda is with you..."

"Hippo, when will you ever be supportive of my quest for true love?" Lucia felt irritation within her regarding her younger brother's protective concerns. "Why does it seem that every single boy I end up having crushes on you always warn me not to go for them?"

"Uh, I'm pretty sure Kaito Doumoto was your one and only crush ever since you were younger, Lucia," Hippo continued with the argument. "And don't think I don't know anything about his _one-week girlfriend _system, Lucia. I'm very familiar with it. That idiot Nagisa Shiroi couldn't stop bragging about it to his dudes in my class and I'm telling you this. You are seriously _not one-week girlfriend _material, Lucia."

Lucia tightened her fist and continued the argument. "I don't want to be just a _one-week girlfriend_, Hippo! I want to be his... permanent girlfriend... but we all know that's not gonna happen... ever..."

"Don't give up hope, Lucia," Hanon joined in the argument. "For all you know Kaito may want to have a change with his dating habits. And don't forget the signals he sorta gave us today."

"Well, I was going to wait till everyone is here but I guess I'll start." Lucia changed the subject immediately and decided to reveal to them what Kaito's plans were for this summer. "Well, Kaito asked me to help him assemble our surf scenes team for the upcoming tournament in two months, which was why we talked so much about surfing, okay?"

Hippo's eyes widened in intrigue. "Wait--- are we talking about the first annual Regional Surf Scenes Tournament, Lucia?"

"What the heck is that?" Hanon asked curiously.

"It's a team tournament with a lot of events," Hippo began to explain. "I recently got the information packet for my reference a few days ago and skimmed through the details. There will be five events included in the new tournament: male surfing contests, female surfing contests, tandem surfing contests, a beauty pageant, and a surf band contest. Without the requirements our town won't be qualified to enter."

"Whoa!" Rina exclaimed in intrigue. "Sounds like they expanded the Regional Surfing Tournament. That's tough!"

"And knowing the Rainbowside Surf Tribe," Hippo continued, "I'm predicting that they want a sweep. Now I see why Kaito asked Lucia to help him form this new team."

"Well, I need to ask the people around here if they know people who can best fit the requirements," Lucia said. "But then who am I going to turn to?"

Hippo gave a slight snicker. "You don't know very many people in the surfing scene, Lucia... But I do."

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_

_A few notes to mention..._

_#1 – I've done a bit of extensive research regarding surfing in general, the science regarding ocean waves, and a bit of the surfer lingo. I give credit to for the information provided._

_#2 – I forgot to mention this in my notes at the previous chapter so I'll mention it here. I know that **Gackto **is the name of the villain/Kaito's twin brother in the manga. In the anime they changed his name to **Gaito**. I'm still a major fan of J-Pop and I am quite familiar with J-Pop/Rock star **Gackt**. Personally I feel weird using **Gackto** for his name in this fic because I'll be writing about a real-life person here (I mean the character design in both the manga and anime very much resemble the real-life Gackt!) which was why I chose to use the name used from the anime._

_#3 – **Tandem surfing?** Yes, there is such thing. It's not very common, but it exists in real life. I've seen real-life tandem surfers before in my local beach and it's not as easy as you think._

_Please take your time to **READ AND REVIEW **this fanfic. **Constructive criticism is always welcome! **I haven't received any feedback ever since I uploaded the introduction chapter and it may be giving some signs that no one is interested in reading it. I'm sorry if you want mermaid action and any form of magic but like I said before I don't want to use an idea that's already been used, plus I'm not very good at writing magical/mermaid action scenes like that._

_More to come, obviously!_

_**RATED T **for the the VERY mild language AND slight adult situations._

_**Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch** is © 2003 Pink Hanamori and Michiko Yokote. All songs used are © respected songwriters/owners. No copyright infringement intended._


	4. Surfer Setup

**RIDE THE WILD SURF  
a Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch Fanfiction**

by Adrimarie

**Surfer Setup  
**

Fresh from graduate school, up and coming middle school music teacher Taro Mitsuki exited the train once it arrived at the Nijibe Station where his aunt and cousin, Taki and Nicola Nanami, would be waiting to pick him up. Though he was moving in permanently in town as long as he still worked as a school teacher he did not travel alone. One of his music students in one of his required teaching assignments, the youthful and attractive Rihito Akagi, was also traveling back home in the same town Taro was moving in. The teacher and student, as well as good friends, see each other only in the summers whenever they work part-time at Pearl Waters, where Taro's relatives own and operate the place, since they were in their teen years. Both Taro and Rihito were musical geniuses, quite well-versed with classical music and were also innovative with mixing in their classical music tastes with today's modern music. Both played many instruments from the piano, violin, and woodwind instruments, but lately they took on new instruments from a standard guitar to electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, and even drums. In the conservatories and the universities located down South they were classical music enthusiasts. In Nijibe during their part-time jobs at Pearl Waters both Taro and Rihito were members of the restaurant's Friday nights-only surf band whom they still have yet to come up with a good name.

When Taro and Rihito were moving out from the South they were also joined by four fine ladies of the famous Carmeline All-Girls College Preparatory Academy from aged thirteen to eighteen. One of them happened to be Rihito's younger sister, Michal, and the other three girls, seventeen-year-old Corina "Coco" Pacifica and seventeen-year-old twin sisters Noel and Caren Lake. The Carmeline Girls, as they were known in Nijibe, were all Nijibe Residents and that they were heading back home for the summer. Noel Lake was Rina Touin's best friend back when they were in elementary but long distance kept them apart for most of their young lives. Despite of that they still kept in touch with each other via emails, letters, and cellphone calls and they see each other in person during the summer whenever Noel and her twin sister Caren come home and work part-time at Pearl Waters. Noel worked as an assistant cook to Hiromu Maki, the head cook of Pearl Waters, while Caren worked as a waitress along with Rina, Hanon, and sometimes Lucia when needed. Coco Pacifica worked as a coffee and juice barista, carefully skilled in making drinks from virgin drinks to alcoholic drinks. Rihito's sister Michal was also a genius in her own right and does private summer school tutoring with the best private tutors at their home in Nijibe, however ever since she met Nijibe's hottest surfer Kaito Doumoto her secret attraction to him caused Michal to become more reluctant at her private summer studies and wanted to come out to the beach more often just to see Kaito surf the seas.

Taro played the lead guitar for the Friday night band with Rihito playing bass guitar, but for the rest of the days he worked as an assistant manager to his cousin Nicola. Rihito worked as a waiter and a busboy when needed during the rest of the days. This year would obviously be different as Taro will take on his new job as a teacher in his cousin Lucia and Hippo's school when summer is over while Rihito and Michal go back to their schools down South.

At the train station Taro, Rihito, and the four Carmeline Girls step out through the gates to wait for their rides back home. As they waited for their rides they sat at the waiting benches, talking about their plans during their summer season stay at Nijibe, which also included the first annual Regional Surf Scenes Tournament.

"Check this out!" Coco began the topic by showing an advertisement page from a surfing magazine she was reading. "Looks like we finally have a chance to be in an actual surfing tournament! Take a look, you guys!"

Taro read the ad allowed presenting what may be the most unique and certainly interesting surfing competition in history. "'All Surfers, Boys and Girls, and all you Surf Scenes Enthusiasts Out There! We want you!'"

Coco turned to the twin sisters with excitement on her face. "We can join this, girls! I mean, this is it! It looks like the surfing world has finally opened their eyes and opening the doors for girls like us! We can finally show those Rainbowside Surf Tribe dudes that us girls can be on the same level as them!"

Caren giggled happily and took the magazine from Coco to read more of the advertisement. "About time! I don't know about you guys but I don't think Nijibe ever had any other girls who can surf--- other than you, me, and Noel--- and it says here that they only need three surfer girls that would make an official all-girl team! Are you in on this one, Noel?"

Noel removed her eyeglasses and closed her thick novel and gazed at her sister. "I've read about that tournament thing and I know that you girls want to rival against the Doumoto Twins and their surf tribe and all but in this case we're gonna have to team up with them. Interesting..."

Coco chuckled and gave Noel a thumbs up. "You do have a point there, Noel. Long time ago they looked at us as if we're a bunch of feminist posers in surfing but because of this tournament I'm very sure now that they're going to need us. You know how those guys are."

Taro gave a nod to the excited Carmeline College Prep threesome in agreement. "I'm glad the surfing industry officials are finally opening their eyes and are letting in anybody who loves the entire surfing scene a chance to actually compete. I've spoken to the Doumoto Twins before and they're not at all that bad..."

"Hey Coco," Caren snapped her fingers realizing a fact she knew. "Isn't your best friend dating one of the brothers?"

Coco laughed along with a nod. "You're talking about Sara, right? Yeah, just recently. They haven't been dating long. They seem to be getting along really well!" She turned immediately towards Taro with a smirk on her face. "Speaking of Sara, how about you, Mitsuki? Got a girlfriend yet?"

Taro gave a suspicious expression at Coco and answered. "I was too busy with my studies, but I'm glad Sara is finally moving on."

"Don't you feel a little bit jealous that your ex finally found someone else before you did?" Rihito smirked and slightly nudged Taro on the side.

"No," Taro smiled confidently. "Not at all. I know the break up was painful, but I've gotten over it. Sara and I established friendship again. We still talk from time to time but that was it. And Gaito Doumoto is a good guy anyway. I know he would be a better boyfriend that I would. As for me, today isn't the right time for me to fall in love again."

"At least you're being a good sport about it, Mitsuki," Noel answered. "And you've got this new teacher position at your cousins' school too, so you gotta get prepared for that. No time to fall in love, I say!"

As the older youths chatted Michal sighed deeply, lowering her head. It was not because she felt ignored, but it was more of contemplating about her long time crush, Najibe's champion surfer Kaito Doumoto. She still have not revealed her feelings for Kaito towards her older brother Rihito or any one of her Carmelite College Prep girl schoolmates, not because she was too shy to reveal it, but simply because she did not want anyone else to worry about her. She looked rather frail and delicate by appearance that made everyone deceived.

_Kaito... I'm coming home to Nijibe again... I can't wait to see you... I wonder if you have a different girlfriend again... Why, Kaito? Don't you like me? I think I'm as pretty as all the other girls you dated before..._

The conversations continued as Caren flipped through this month's issue of _Surfer Styles _magazine she grabbed from Coco where she found the ad regarding the tournament coming up in two months. Just as she continued to flip through the pages she found a section article about this year's hottest surfers whom every fan should keep an eye on. In fact, she even stumbled two full-color, high quality pin-up pages: one of Kaito Doumoto in action at the waves and the other of Kousuke Sakiya, also in action at the waves.

"Oooh!" Caren giggled right when she found a very cool, striking pinup of Kaito Doumoto doing one of his signature 360 leaps from his wave up on the air and continued to stare at it. "This has gotta be the hottest pinup I have ever seen! Can I have this pinup, Coco?"

Coco attempted to reach back for her magazine but Caren pulled away from her. "Hey, give it back, Caren! You lost my page! I was reading this really interesting article about Maile Lelepali, prominent surfer girl from Hawaii!"

"Aw come on--- you can have the magazine back--- I just want the Kaito pinup! Pleeeaase?" Caren begged Coco with a pouty mouth when Michal quickly snatched the magazine from Caren to get a glimpse of the pinup. "Hey, Michal?"

Michal immediately gazed at the Kaito Doumoto pinup and cuddled the magazine as if she was embracing the real person. "Oh Kaito... even when you're all wet and messy you still are perfect to my eyes..."

"GIVE IT!" Coco continued to reach for her magazine. "Honestly, who on earth would put pinups on a neutral-gender magazine such as Surfer Styles? You guys make it look like my favorite surfing magazine line is one of those cheesy teen magazines, really."

Michal quickly turned to Coco and also began to beg. "Please, Coco, can I have the Kaito Doumoto pinup instead? I'm a bigger fan here than Caren is!"

"Nooooo!" Caren cried and continued to beg. "I want that pinup, Coco!"

Coco quickly grabbed her magazine away from the two hapless girls and held it tight to her. "Good grief! Buy your own copy! Don't rip up my magazine for some stupid pinup!"

"BUT IT'S KAITO DOUMOTO!" Both Caren and Michal shrieked with fists tightened.

"Don't rip my Maile Lelepali article for that pinup!" Coco glared at the two. "Get a hold of yourself, people. Why beg for a pinup when you can always see the real dude when we get home? Jeez..."

Rihito snickered and patted his younger sister. "When we get home, I'll buy you a copy of this month's _Surfer Styles_ magazine at the bookstore. You can have the Kaito Doumoto pinup---"

"I want it autographed, Rihito," Michal giggled happily, placing her head on her older brother's shoulder. "I want to see him so bad! He... he just... takes my breath away every time I see him out there riding the ocean. It's like he's the ruler of the seas!"

"Uh," Rihito snickered, "Michal, I understand how you feel for Kaito, but you're also aware that you have all the girls in the entire town to compete for him. I want to be supportive and all but... I don't know... I just can't see you with him..."

Michal exclaimed in shock to hear her brother say such things. "I'm rich! He's rich too! And he deserves a really good, honest, and not to mention a beautiful girl--- someone who would take care of him and his sensitive heart! I don't care about the other girls, Rihito, not all of them have the best qualities like I do!"

Rihito sighed and lowered his head. Michal turned her head towards the others in the group hoping they would say some form of opinion regarding her pursuing for Kaito Doumoto once she reached home. When none were able to provide an opinion she broke the silence.

"You guys know something about Kaito that I don't... do you?" Michal suspected to her group of friends.

"Don't look at me," Taro answered quickly. "The last time I spoke to Kaito Doumoto last summer, the last thing I said to him was _'Nice to meet you!'_"

Michal turned towards Coco, in which Coco tried to avoid the subject. "You, Coco Pacifica--- you're best friends with Kaito's twin brother's girlfriend--- I'm pretty sure you know something about Kaito that I don't!"

Coco raised an eyebrow towards Michal. "Girl, get a grip. Sara and I don't always talk about the Doumoto Twins, alright? How should I know what's up with Kaito anyway? I don't even know how close Sara and Kaito are in real life and I'm pretty sure her boyfriend Gaito is no gossip either."

Quickly Michal turned her head to the Lake Twins, who also fell silent at the subject. "You guys! You guys and Coco are surfer girls and go to those tournaments too! I'm pretty sure you twins got hookups with him!"

Noel sighed and lowered her head. "Michal, if you're really desperate to see what's up with Kaito why don't you find him when we get back home and talk to him?"

Caren contemplated for an answer. Though she was not one of the nutty fan girls crazily in love with Kaito she was definitely a major fan of the champion surfer. "Um, the magazines don't really talk about his love life that much, so sorry I can't really help you."

Michal sighed deeply with disappointment on her face. "It's not fair... what does Kaito see in those girls he dated anyway? Those... those... _one-week girlfriends_? You know I've worked so hard back in school to make myself look sexy in a bikini but it's no use... he probably sees me more as a child..."

Rihito attempted not to say anything about the subject but at the same time he can feel rather embarrassed at what his sister just said. "Michal, don't force yourself to change just so a guy like Kaito Doumoto would pay attention to you. I mean you already had a moment with him. It's not like the two of you are strangers or anything like that. In fact I'm pretty sure he cares about you and likes you for who you are. Otherwise you wouldn't be friends---"

"I don't want to be _just friends_, Rihito! It's not enough! Guys like Kaito are very rare nowadays! I would never find another guy like him in this lifetime--- ever!" Michal shouted in disagreement while Rihito hushed her silently.

Just as the argument was about to fire up the group were startled to hear familiar honks from the parking lot of the train station. They all stood up and saw three vehicles: one sedan where Nicola and Taki Nanami at the front; a large van with the Pearl Waters' cook, Hiromu Maki, behind the wheel, and a fancy black Rolls Royce with a uniformed driver waiting at the front.

"Looks like our rides are here!" Taro exclaimed with a huge grin on his face. "Let's go, everyone!"

The group headed out and right to their designated rides while Nicola, Taki, Maki, and the Rolls Royce uniformed driver aided the group and pack their luggages. In the meantime Taro embraced both his aunt and cousin as his greeting while Maki was there to pick up the three girls.

"Sorry we were a little late, Taro," Nicola chuckled, patting her cousin on the cheek. "We were caught up with one of the biggest changes at our beach strip earlier today and the entire town was so excited!"

"Really?" Taro chuckled as Taki carried his things in to the trunk. "What sort of change?"

Taki closed the trunk of the car and answered her nephew. "Our beach came alive. The sea came alive. A lot of beach goers and even our own surfers just crowded the beach because the ocean rolled out very huge breakers. Young Hippo even estimated the breaker measurement about twenty feet."

"Twenty feet? Whoa, that's never happened with the ocean in our strip before..." Taro's eyes widened in surprise. "But I would love to see the beach across the street from us have some activity going on too."

Just as the Nanamis were about to head inside the car Taro spotted Rihito at the Rolls Royce waving towards him. Taro returned the wave to him.

"I'll see you tomorrow at Pearl Waters, Taro!" Rihito called out to his friend and mentor.

"Yeah. We got rehearsals and all that--- Friday night band, you know!" Taro responded with a thumbs up.

Rihito nodded in agreement. "Alright then. See you later!" The driver of the Rolls Royce opened the door for him and Michal as the siblings entered in to the car.

In the meantime Maki waved at Nicola, letting her know that the three girls Coco, Caren, and Noel were ready and secure in his van. After they packed their things they drove off the parking lot and head back home.

Pearl Waters was alive and well after the opening. Though there were still not very many customers there was indeed business. Luckily for Hanon and Rina the customers who came by only headed for the coffee and juice bar since their cook Maki was at the train station picking up Coco, Caren, and Noel while the Nanamis picked up Taro Mitsuki at the same time.

While the girls were busy at the juice bar and Lucia trying her best to work in the kitchen Hippo was at the second story of their building in his bedroom. He reviewed all the photographs he shot of the ocean earlier today on his laptop, cropping them so he may upload them in the official website of _Surfer Styles _magazine. The website had a huge user gallery where users may sign up for a free account and upload their images of the ocean, beach, and most of all, surfers taking over the waves.

Hippo was rather proud of himself with his recent photos he took. He caught the best shots on his sophisticated 35-millimeter SLR camera using the new Telephoto lens his Aunt Taki gave him for his birthday a few months ago. Though he was still protective of his older sister Lucia from hotshot guys like Kaito Doumoto it was irony that his shots of this same particular boy riding his wave that gave Hippo's user gallery the most hits. He even received many positive comments from other users, in which many of them came from female surfing fans complimenting Kaito's good looks more rather than the actual photograph itself. Still he dreamt of becoming an official, professional photographer of the surfing scene still lived on within him.

_Of course, _Hippo thought to himself, sighing while reading the comments he received. _My shots of Kaito Doumoto are always major hits at the surfing galleries. Then again it's because I live in the same town as the favorite champion surfer and that I'm the only one in Nijibe who takes surfing pictures too._

He stretched his arms to relax himself when his eyes caught the sight of his desk calendar. The date for tomorrow was circled in red ink, which gave him a major reminder right at that time. He reached to the opposite side of his desk and picked up a framed photo of a particular young girl and sighed deeply.

"Happy Thirteenth Birthday, Yuri," Hippo murmured his words to the girl's photo. _Well... if you were still here..._

He placed the photo back to its original place and then also caught sight of a particular news article posted on his wall. Quickly he took the article and read the article title. It was even cut from the front page of the _The Rainbow Chronicles _newspaper as well: _Pre-Teen Girl's Death Determined as Suicide – Police Reported Young Girl Jumped off Rainbow Valley Ravine and Drowned_.

_Even until now I don't think I would understand why you had to do this, Yuri..._ Hippo shook his head and placed the article on his desk down side and went back to his gallery once again.

Just at that moment Hippo was startled by door knocks. He turned his head to see Lucia standing at his open doorway. "Oh... Lucia."

Lucia smiled humbly and invited herself in. She sat on Hippo's bed, looking a lot more daffy than ever. "Hippo... you're gonna help me help Kaito and the surf team build their surf scenes team for the upcoming tournament in two months!"

Hippo raised an eyebrow feeling slightly annoyed by his sister's enthusiasm of her first encounter with Kaito and turned his head back from her. "I just hope you're only doing this so we can sweep the entire tournament and not because of Kaito Doumoto. I'm still a little miffed about him."

"You're so mean, Hippo. You always take these surfing photos and beach photos and what not and yet you're still reluctant to help me help the Rainbowside Surf Tribe's mission in forming our surf scenes team?" Lucia frowned with her arms crossed. "For once forget about worrying about me getting my heart broken because right now that's not my priority."

Hippo turned his chair around to face Lucia along with his arms crossed. "I'm just a bit ticked because the user comments at my gallery only praised your dream boy for looking good on the photos instead of my hard work taking that shot. It makes me wonder when Kaito Doumoto would actually lay low on his personal life and actually get serious with the people around him. I'm just sick of all these media and tabloids trying to run me over with their cameras burying me down. I'm a proud local photographer of Nijibe and I'm very proud of our surfers and I do my best to make them look good in the surfing world. I'll do anything to help them out but at the same time I wished all these comments would actually talk about my hard work and that they should also give everyone else besides Kaito Doumoto credit. Heck even his twin brother Gaito was being upstaged by Kaito--- and he's even the older twin!"

"I saved his life, Hippo! If it weren't for me he wouldn't even be alive!" Lucia exclaimed and quickly covered her mouth. She just blabbed something she was not supposed to reveal to anyone.

"Eh? Saved his life? What are you talking about, Lucia?"

Lucia turned her head and sighed. "Nothing, forget it. Even if I actually tell you about it you wouldn't believe me anyway."

Hippo sighed deeply and rested himself against his chair. "Okay, Lucia. I give up. I'll help you out with this surf scenes tournament thing, only because you really do care about our town winning this tournament and you being my sister."

"Thanks, Hippo! You're the coolest!" Quickly Lucia planted a kiss on Hippo's forehead which startled the younger brother.

"Okay already! So, what do you need?"

Lucia lied down on to Hippo's bed, relaxing. "Well, we need a three-member surfer girl team---"

"Coco and the Lake Twins," Hippo immediately answered with a grin on his face.

"Coco and--- wait, Coco, Caren, and Noel? I didn't know they know how to surf..."

"Lucia, you didn't know that they can surf because you pay more attention to the surfer dudes than the surfer dudettes." Hippo made his responding statement. "But I don't blame you. I already know that these girls rock the waves when they get on the board and ride the wildest breakers they can pick up. They got skills and courage about the same level as Kaito Doumoto and the rest of the surf tribe. The problem with the surfing world right now is that there aren't very many females who surf so they often neglect them. I'm glad they're opening up already and let the girls take the ocean the same way the guys do. I don't know if Coco, Caren, and Noel know the Doumoto Twins or anybody in the surf tribe personally but since you've been given the task I think you should hook the girls up with the surf tribe yourself."

Lucia got up from the bed and winked. "Thanks for the tip, Hippo! I'll do just that when the girls start working at Pearl Waters tomorrow!"

"Anything else you need, Lucia?"

"Well... we need a surf band... a beach band... you know... a rock band that plays surf rock, beach pop, rockin' instrumentals that pump surfers up to take on the waves... you know--- a band!"

"Us," Hippo immediately answered.

"Us? You mean like you and me and Rina and Taro and Rihito 'us'?"

"Yup. As in you and me and Rina and Taro and Rihito 'us'."

Lucia gulped nervously, twiddling her fingers in nervousness. "Why us?"

"Do you know any other bands who do surf rock and beach pop around town, Lucia? I pretty much know the entire town and believe me--- we're the only ones who do that type of music. I mean we do other stuff too but if the surf tribe want a really kick-ass, solid band, they got no choice but to pick us."

Lucia quickly shook her head in disagreement. "Okay, first of all, Hippo, we don't even have a band name. We're just simply called the _Friday night band_ since we only play and perform on stage downstairs on Friday nights!"

"We'll deal with the band name later. All you gotta do is let the entire surf tribe--- not just Kaito since I know you'd rather see him alone than seeing him with whoever--- but the entire tribe. Invite them--- convince them to listen to our stuff tomorrow."

"Alright, alright," Lucia nodded, sighing at the same time. "One more..."

"One more?"

"Yup. One more."

Hippo stretched his arms once more and placed his legs on the edge of his bed to relax himself. "Alright. What is it?"

"A six-member tandem surfer team---" Just as Lucia mentioned those words Hippo almost fell from his seat in shock.

"... Tandem surfer team...?" Hippo's eyes widened, looking more interested than ever.

"Yup. A tandem surfer team!"

Hippo fell silent and went back to his contemplative mode. Lucia waited for Hippo to come up with an answer patiently. During her wait she realized that she neglected this part of the deal. She had no knowledge of what a _tandem surfer team_ really was. She lowered her head in shame once she thought of that fact.

"Sorry. Can't help you with that."

Lucia's eyes widened in shock. "What? Why?"

Hippo raised an eyebrow with a serious expression on his face. "I'm just gonna assume you don't know what _tandem surfing _is, Lucia."

Lucia frowned once she heard what her brother just stated. "Okay... I don't know what _tandem surfing _is--- but Kaito said that they need to form a team--- a six-member team!"

"You really don't know what _tandem surfing _is?" Hippo's eyes widened in shock. "You're my sister and you don't know what _tandem surfing _is?"

"Okay already Hippo, I get it," Lucia crossed her arms glaring at her younger brother. "I don't know _everything _about surfing. I thought I did but I was wrong."

"Alright. Let me explain. Imagine a scene at the beach. Imagine yourself standing at the sand watching a particular awesome surf riding. You see Kaito--- and a really hot girl--- surfing together--- on one surfboard--- and Kaito carrying that hot girl up high like she was his trophy, doing all kinds of graceful moves, tricks, and displays, and show the flow of their style to the world. It's like... Ice Dancing... on a surfboard."

Lucia felt sinking down as if she was going to drown in despair and sighed deeply. "I see why you can't help me with that, Hippo..."

"Six members, meaning three couples. Three dudes, three chicks, three surfboards. I'm gonna take a guess that Kaito will be one of the three dudes and I can be sure that he's got the entire town of girls who would kill each other to be his tandem surfing partner. Why didn't you just offer yourself to him as his partner when he asked about it earlier?"

"Hippo, I didn't even know what _tandem surfing _is! I thought it was a special surfing event or something that only the best of the best can participate. Besides... I can't do it..."

Hippo's eyebrow raised once again. "Why not?"

"Because I'm seriously _not _a 'hot babe' like you mentioned earlier..." Lucia rolled on the opposite side of Hippo's bed and buried her face against the pillow. "... and I can't surf."

"You can swim and dive in the ocean but you can't surf, Lucia?"

Lucia showed her face towards Hippo again, glaring. "You can swim and dive in the ocean but you can't surf either, Hippo!"

"Well I'm different! I'm a visual person when it comes to surfing in general!"

"Well I'm a visual person too!"

"How much do you like him, Lucia?"

Right then the words immediately hit Lucia within her, both her heart and her mind. She felt that her younger brother was indeed testing her regarding her feelings for Kaito. She knew she still had to gain her brother's trust in her regarding Kaito and she had no other choice but to tell him everything.

"I love him... Hippo..."

"Of course you do, Lucia. You and the rest of ten thousand-ish girls in this town love him."

"You don't understand, Hippo. I'm in love with him... what I mean to say is... I don't know how to explain this. It's like... when we first talked to each other it's like... no, wait... when he took me by the hand earlier to get away from the fan girls... and when we jumped over the low fence and landed on foot at the same time on sand and continued to run without stopping... and when he gave me that general wink, smile, and thumbs up gesture after I murmured _ride _twice... and when we talked to each other the first time... I felt as if I can tell him anything without getting all nervous and scared... I feel somewhat... connected to him..."

Hippo fell silent at first, thinking of Lucia's level of attraction--- in all sides that is--- to Kaito. Afterwards he responded: "That's why I said you should be his tandem surfing partner."

"I don't get it, Hippo..."

"Tandem surfing isn't just about showing off and get fancy on a surfboard. It's about getting connected. If you want to win in that tournament you have to trust each other in all sides. You have to be quick too which was why it's important to find that connection without words or actions exchanged. Just by looking at the eye you should already know what the other is planning to do."

Lucia immediately shook her head. "No way! I can't be his tandem surfing partner! I can't just go up to him and say _Hey Kaito, I can be your tandem surfing partner because I feel that we're connected to each other_, Hippo! I don't want to scare him and he may think the wrong ideas..."

"Lucia. It's not going to be you who will do the talking. Get Kaito to choose you himself. He's the surfer and you're not. The one who will decide the partnership in tandem surfing is the surfer himself. If both of you are surfers as individuals then that's fine, but since there aren't that many surfer girls here you're gonna have to do something to get him to pick you."

Despite of her high enthusiasm regarding her chances with Kaito this particular tandem surfing bit was indeed going to be difficult. _I think I have a chance to become a close friend of his, but as his tandem surfing partner? No way! Compared to all his _one-week girlfriends_ I'm just way out of their league. Besides, why would he choose me anyway?_

"Are you alright, Lucia?" Hippo became concerned when he noticed his sister being silent after the long statement he made. After giving some thought he may have scared her at some points. He stood up from his seat and sat on the edge of his bed, looking over his sister. "I guess I shouldn't have said that."

"No, not your fault, Hippo," Lucia answered. Her happy expression suddenly disappeared and worry arrived. "It's just that... I have to be real about this too, you know? I mean I really do want to help him enter the tournament... so much... it wasn't because I wanted to show him how much I love the sport... how much I know about his love of surfing... how much I know that I'm not one of those stupid fan girls who only care about how hot he looks or that he wins so many championship titles. I... I shouldn't fall for the same spell that those fan girls fell for. I think I'm even a lot worse than those fan girls even..."

Hippo shook his head, disagreeing. "You're a lot better than those stupid fan girls. You love the sport itself and you showed it to him. That weird song you and Rina did a random freestyle earlier was proof enough. I think Kaito needs girls like you in his life. I mean, didn't he tell you where he lives and that you can come over anytime you want? I can bet you he would want to see you tomorrow at the beach and you already told me he and his dudes are gonna stop by Pearl Waters to see us play, right? Just... just don't think about this tandem surfing thing right away since you two just... met. You let him worry about the tandem surfing bit. That's all I wanted to say to you, Lucia."

Lucia got up from Hippo's bed and smiled. "Thanks, Hippo. You know... you can be nice when you need to be. I think you should be a lot nicer more often."

"Yeah, whatever." Hippo stood from his bed and headed back to his desk. On the side there is a large brown envelope addressed to him. He opened the envelope and took out a fresh copy of this month's _Surfer Styles_ magazine. He handed the magazine to his sister. "Here, you can have this. It's an extra copy."

"_Surfer Styles_ magazine?" Lucia asked curiously and took the magazine. She skimmed through the pages carefully when she stumbled upon two free pinups included: one of Kaito Doumoto soaring mid-air with his surfboard from his wave and the other of Kaito's rival, Kousuke Sakiya. In an instant Lucia ignored Sakiya's pinup and paid attention to Kaito's pinup. "Oh wow! Kaito looks so cool in this! This pinup of him really rocks! I mean, you can see his perfect form when he does his signature 360 on mid-air! You can even see a bit of his facial reaction too when he's flying like that! You can really see how focused he is here--- focused and confident. This is proof he is the ruler of the seas, Hippo, and this pinup is pure _art_! Totally epic!"

"Of course," Hippo smirked in confidence. "It's a special pinup that I hope every surfing fan can't ignore. I got an extra copy here in this envelope and I plan to frame and hang it on my wall."

Lucia chuckled and gazed at Hippo with curiosity. "Really, Hippo? But you barely have anything on your wall except for a couple posters of the ocean and random surfers. But you're actually going to frame a Kaito Doumoto pinup?"

"Did you see the copyright notice at the bottom of the pinup?"

"Eh?" Quickly Lucia scanned down the bottom and spotted the small copyright notice at the bottom.

_Photograph © Hiroki Nanami. All Rights Reserved._

"Hippo!" Lucia exclaimed happily and immediately embraced her younger brother in her arms. "You took this picture? And the magazine turned it in to a pinup? That's so awesome! Congrats, Bro! I'm so happy for you!"

"Yeah, thanks," Hippo chuckled and reached inside the envelope again to show her a letter included in there. Lucia took it and read the letter herself.

"That's so cool! They want to hire you as a junior photographer for their magazine? You've got it made, Hippo!"

"Well, part-time obviously. I still got school and all that. I'm assigned to take photos strictly of Kaito and all the other surfers here in Nijibe, but what's awesome for this year too is that they also wanted me to take photos of the upcoming tournament itself, also focusing on the Nijibe team. I'm really stoked, Lucia! You have no idea how long I've dreamed of getting in to the surfing photography industry."

"I'm so happy for you, Hippo! Now I can brag to my friends that my very own brother took the photo of the hottest Kaito Doumoto pinup in the whole world!"

Hippo laughed at Lucia's reaction for a few moments. Afterwards he changed the subject a bit. "Lucia, listen. I know I was a bit harsh but after hearing you explain yourself about your feelings for him I'm somewhat convinced. I gave you that extra copy because of the pinup. I don't want you to just give up on him, especially with that tandem surfing problem. You can rip the magazine apart and take that pinup out and maybe you can start from there."

Lucia stared at the pinup, confused all at once. "Start from here...?"

"Ask him to autograph the pinup, dummy! You want to get his attention right away? Start with the pinup. He already knows you before you got this pinup and since you told me that he already knows how much you know about the sport he loves he'll definitely give you attention."

"Thanks a lot, Hippo. You're the best!" Lucia smiled happily and closed the magazine. She held the magazine tightly as if she was clinging a real person in her arms. "I need to do more research!"

Hippo stared at Lucia with another suspicion in his face. "Research?"

"About tandem surfing, silly! You said I should do something to get him to pick me for his partner, right? I'm gonna start right now! I mean from how you described what it is that tandem surfing thing is just crazy--- not to mention dangerous too!"

"No fret, Lucia. I got your solution right here." Hippo stood up and headed to his CD and DVD shelf and looked through his DVD collection for a particular DVD. Once he found the title he removed it from the shelf and handed it to her.

"_2 Bodies + 1 Surfboard: The History and Fundamentals of Tandem Surfing_." Lucia read the DVD cover and looked up to her brother. "Where do you get all these surfing documentaries?"

"I got them from Maki, who else?" Hippo snickered in pride with his arms crossed. "You know his brother owns a small surf shop three buildings from here, right? They don't just sell souvenirs and surf gear but they do specialized custom-built surfboards to those who want to order them. They got all kinds of good stuff there. Oh, before you start watching that DVD there's one thing I gotta tell you too."

"Oh? What's that?"

"Be sure to let Kaito and his surf team know that they need to have custom-designed longboards specialized for tandem surfing. They can't just use whatever board like a thruster or a gun or even a beginner's longboard. We pretty much call them tandem boards. Maki's your man when it comes to custom surfboards like that, so be sure to tip the dudes about him and all that other good stuff."

Lucia continued to stare at the DVD and flashed a smile on her face. "Thanks so much, Hippo! Kaito's going to get a hint that I'm an expert at tandem surfing and he's gonna pick me for his partner!"

Hippo chuckled softly and nodded. "Okay Lucia. Good luck!"

Lucia gave a thumbs up to her brother and dashed away from his room. Hippo dropped himself to this bed, taking a deep breath.

_Hey, Yuri. I know you're watching over us right now, wherever you are. Watch over Lucia, would you? Don't let her fall victim to his charms and protect her fragile heart from being broken._

Meanwhile at the dining area both Hanon and Rina rested behind the juice bar after a busy night. Lucia did not have to do much cooking for the supper-eating customers which was why she was able to take a short break to seek help from her surfing expert brother. Though business was steady the two juice bar girls looked both tired and bored.

"Man... I thought we're gonna get more people tonight," Hanon sighed deeply. "I mean, only reason why I decided to work today 'cause I wanna know what Lucia and Kaito actually talked about during their first encounter, you know?"

Rina got herself busy by blending two virgin Piña Colada drinks for Hanon and herself in order to refresh themselves. "As Lucia said, they talked about surfing."

Hanon frowned in disappointment along with a sigh. "But Rina, that's a bad sign in some ways. What girl would talk to a hot hunk like Kaito about something impersonal such as surfing? If they keep this up Kaito is just gonna talk to Lucia about surfing altogether and that's all he's going to see in her. If that's all they're going to talk about then it's less likely he's going to get all hot and romantic on Lucia like that."

"You know, Hanon, a lot of your theories about Kaito have been wrong so far as of today." Rina snickered as she poured her juice in two glasses. She handed the other glass to her. "How many girls do you think who know a lot about surfing as much as Kaito and his dudes besides Lucia, Coco, the Lake Twins, and myself? Not very many, I say. And since Coco and the Lake Twins go to Carmeline College Prep obviously the dudes aren't close to them. No one can guess that I know a bit about surfing myself and most of all they can't guess Lucia being well-versed with the sport they love too. I think Lucia has a game plan in order to win Kaito's heart, Hanon."

Hanon took her glass and began to sip on the glass. "Okay, only reason I'm concerned because Lucia has never been on a date before. No guy has ever asked her out, no guy has even flirted or even hit on her, I mean she's like... dead fish when it comes to dating!"

"Not for long, Hanon," Rina continued to smirk. "Today is just the beginning. We got all summer, girl. Anything can happen."

"I just hope you're right, Rina. Lucia's just way too nice to have her heart broken like that. And how can Kaito be _not _get interested in her romantically? I just hope my theory about him looking for true inner beauty in a girl more than her outside looks is true... I mean he likes to tease other girls regarding their appearance too sometimes... and he can be a pervert sometimes."

Rina gazed at the customers at the tables and also at the bar while they watched a baseball game on their wide screen TV at the corner of the ceiling. "I wouldn't be surprised if Kaito started hitting on Lucia with... hints like that."

Hanon giggled while imagining that particular moment with Lucia. "Kaito likes hot and sexy. He loves to seduce and get any girl to show a little bit of themselves openly to him. When we were dating for a week he tried to do that on me too... and I fell for it... I felt like an idiot then after he ended our one-week relationship."

"Better not let Lucia hear you say that," Rina whispered quickly. "Let her decide whether she wants to get more bare with him if he asked her or teased her for it, but I'm pretty sure Lucia isn't going to let him get to her like that."

Just as the girls were about to continue the conversation their boss, Nicola Nanami, along with her aunt, Taki, arrived at the doorstep with Maki the cook and three familiar faces to Rina. Behind them is none other than tall and handsome Taro Mitsuki, bringing in his luggages along.

"Ah, Rina! Hanon!" Nicola called out to them as they entered. "Nice to see you managing the juice bar! Wow, another slow night again, but at least the work is light for you guys. Where are Lucia and Hippo?"

"Good evening, Boss," Rina greeted Nicola. "Lucia and Hippo are upstairs"

From behind Nicola, Noel Lake dashed to the juice bar excitedly: "Rina! Hiiii!"

"Noel!" Rina exclaimed happily as the two long time friends embrace each other. "You're looking good, girl!"

"So do you, Rina!" The two girls laughed happily as Rina turned to Hanon. "Hanon, this is my long time best friend from elementary, Noel Lake. That's her twin sister Caren over there, and their friend Corina---"

"Coco, please!" Coco answered right away as she and Hanon shook hands. "So, you're the new girl we've been hearing! Welcome to Pearl Waters!"

"Oh that's right," Rina chuckled and nudged Hanon on the side. "I forgot that this is the first summer that you're actually working here at Pearl Waters. You're the newbie of the staff!"

Hanon giggled and greeted her new staff mates. "Nice to meet you guys, finally! Um, go easy on me, I'm still a newbie here."

Caren smiled and asked: "So how long have you been working here Hanon?"

"Not too long... about five months now I think," Hanon answered shyly.

"Working at Pearl Waters during summer is the best, Hanon. You're gonna love it, especially the people who come here regularly for the season." Noel winked with a smile on her face.

Moments later Lucia and Hippo arrived downstairs to greet their seasonal fellow employees and their new tenant, cousin Taro Mitsuki. Just as they exchanged their greetings Hanon's attention was caught when she gazed at the face of the tall, dark-haired young man who just pumped fists with Hippo as their way of greeting each other.

Lucia gently dragged Taro to the juice bar to introduce him to Hanon. "Hanon, this is my cousin, Taro Mitsuki. Taro, this is Hanon, one of my best friends from school."

Taro offered a handshake in an open, friendly approach. "Nice to meet you, Hanon. Guess you and I will be working a lot together here at Pearl Waters."

Hanon felt rapid beating of her heart just as Taro Mitsuki greeted her. "H-hi... nice to meet you too... and I'm glad to be here with you guys..."

"Taro's going to be working as a new teacher in our school when we head back to school after summer, Hanon, so we get to see him everyday now instead of every summer. It'd be really cool if Taro ends up being our new homeroom teach too, right Taro?" Lucia nudged Taro on the side with a soft giggle.

"Hard to say, Lucia. I haven't received my real assignment yet until maybe later in the season, so we'll see." Taro answered with a return smile. "Well then, I better get my stuff ready upstairs and I'll see you later, okay?" He turned to Hanon and gave a slight wave. "Nice to meet you, Hanon."

"Sure thing! Later!" Lucia waved happily.

"Okay..." Hanon slowly smiled as she watched Taro head at the back of the walkway of the juice bar and reached for the stairs. Quickly she turned towards Lucia and hooked her finger to signal her to come closer.

"What is it, Hanon?"

"A word with you, Lucia." Hanon led Lucia outside the restaurant and then crossed the street to the soft sands of the beach. Just as they were finally alone Hanon began to speak.

"I hate you!"

Lucia's eyes widened in a startle right when Hanon exclaimed that statement to her. "Wha--- what?"

From out of the blue Hanon screamed and giggled in happiness like a happy little girl. "Lucia! Why didn't you tell me that your cousin is a total hottie? Why?"

Lucia slowly backed away from the daffy Hanon and answered nervously. "Um... well, Taro's my cousin and obviously I don't... look at him that way..."

"Are you blind, Lucia? Even if he's not related you gotta admit he's hot stuff! Not only that he's a total hot stuff, Lucia, but he's really nice--- and gentlemanly--- ooh, now I got a major reason to study and pass all my classes--- with a teacher like him, homework and tests are just peanuts!"

Lucia giggled and placed her hands on Hanon's shoulders to calm her down. "Well, we can't really say for sure if he's going to be our new homeroom teacher and all---"

"Oh my god Lucia you have _got _to hook me up with him! Please don't tell me he has a girlfriend or else I'm going crazy like this for nothing!"

"But Hanon... he's like... about ten years or so older than you and me... I don't know if this is such a---"

"Lucia! Age is nothing but a number! There are no boundaries when it comes to love, Lucia!"

"Well true but we're under aged and he's an adult, Hanon!"

"Come on, Lucia!" Hanon sighed sadly. "I'm already doing my best to hook you up with Kaito... at least this should be a good payback as your way of saying thank you. At least Taro Mitsuki is family and not just some random stranger you just happen to see on the spot like that. Please...?"

Lucia sighed deeply and lowered her head. "Well... I can't say I'll succeed but sure... okay..."

"I love you!" Hanon threw her arms around Lucia, giggling at the same time. "Well... we gotta head back before your family starts wondering where we went off to!"

"Right." Lucia nodded as the two girls went back inside Pearl Waters after their small talk.

Hours passed and the night was only an hour away to midnight. The restaurant was already closed as the staff cleaned up the entire place. Lucia was given a break and while Taro and the Carmeline girls got themselves prepared for a good night's sleep. Hanon and Rina proceeded to go home, but both decided that for the summer that they would move in the two-story quarters to join the rest of the staff the next day.

At this point Lucia began watching the tandem surfing documentary DVD she borrowed from Hippo in order to do her part of the deal she had with Kaito earlier. She had to know the real deal behind the mysterious surfing event known as tandem surfing and what makes this sport such an intricately elite sport and why it was added in this year's first annual surf scenes tournament. It was the first time she heard of it and still felt bad that she had no knowledge of this particular sport. As she watched the DVD on her laptop she gazed hypnotically at the images of the couples doing these artistic, acrobatic tricks on a surfboard and began imagining herself being the girl and Kaito being the guy on that custom-shaped long board. Though most of the scenes she saw so far were all based on low swells she still had yet to see tandem surfing on large swells, where the surf tribe, especially the Doumoto Twins, were best known and skilled at.

The film came to the part where the tandem surfers being interviewed explain what their personal philosophies were regarding the sport of tandem surfing and what the sport meant to them. As she watched and listened she was beginning to understand what the entire event was about. Though tandem surfing can be done by anyone for recreational reasons, competitive tandem surfing was generally limited to couples: best friends, lovers, and married couples. The couple had to be one male and one female and that the female must not weigh less than fifty-percent than the male partner's weight. Finally, lifting of the female up on the sky must last at least three seconds. Bonus points are added if she was held more than three seconds without any flaws. At that point Lucia knew how difficult, nerve-racking, and in many points how deadly this particular event was.

Lucia paused her DVD and walked out to the balcony patio where she gazed at the starry sky and the view of the rolling ocean. Too many things had happened earlier today from her first open conversation with her long time crush to learning more about the tournament and tandem surfing from Hippo to contemplating the philosophies of professional tandem surfers featured on the video. She started to contemplate so many things at this point.

_What if Hippo was right about Kaito entering the tandem surfing competition for this tournament? If he is, who's going to be his partner? Those tandem surfers from the DVD seemed to be so in love with each other that they can do all those tricks on a surfboard with ease. Wouldn't that mean that Kaito has to be... in love... with whoever this partner is?_

She sighed, looking rather worried about the entire tandem surfing dilemma. She began to worry about who Kaito's tandem surfing partner would be should he enter the tandem surfing competition himself. She lifted her head and gazed at the stars and rested her chin against her fist. She wondered if Kaito may be thinking about this tandem surfing problem and also wondering who his partner would be if he decided to enter this particular event.

_I wonder if you're also thinking the same thing I'm thinking right now, Kaito. Are you thinking about this tandem surfing problem? Who your partner is going to be if you're going to join? I wonder if you're also looking at the same stars as I am right now... I mean you only live two blocks on this same side of the street as I do, right?_

Lucia sighed deeply again and decided to stay there for a little while before she headed to bed.

Meanwhile at the surf tribe's _shack_, also known as the Doumoto Residence, it was another night of wild partying for the surfer boys, some select non-surfer cool boys, some select girls from the Rainbow Pop Girls clique, and even some select girls from the Kaito Doumoto Fan Club. Though the partying was relatively safe with no booze or drugs included the parties held at the house was always fun, wild, out of control, and there can be at times where the neighbors would call the town police to keep the wild party animals toned down or even end the party when the hours are past midnight. In terms of casual interactions it was also difficult to say if inappropriate events ever occurred inside the house as no one who had been to a Rainbowside Surf Tribe ever reported anything strange or things deemed tasteless to society to anyone who had never been there. That included Hanon, a former _Rainbow Pop Girl_ clique member, who did have a few moments of random make outs with her _one-week ex_ Kaito Doumoto during these types of parties. After the one-week relationship ended the carefree and open Hanon had a major change, not just with her views with Kaito and the types of kids he hung out, but primarily towards her supposed friends of the Rainbow Pop Girl clique as well as her new look in a life of being young.

But this was not the time to talk about pretty and popular Hanon Houshou here. The parties at the Doumoto Residence during summer were always hot, wild, and simply one of the most happening places for all kids in Nijibe who bore a huge name and any kid who was anybody wanted to be invited in these types of parties. Though that may still be the case this summer, this particular party had a whole different atmosphere than it used to be. For instance, the surfer boys were not as animated or as crazy as they used to when they hold parties like this, most especially when it comes to getting involved with the town's hottest girls. They had something else implanted in their mind right now ever since their meeting earlier at the beach across from Pearl Waters.

Kaito Doumoto had not had a _one-week girlfriend _for the past three months. For him it was easy to just get one from any one of the Rainbow Pop Girls or even from his personal fan club but at this period he had been single. He still possessed his seductive charm that still would make the opposite sex grow wild with him but with only one thing. He had not been using that particular charm to get a girl because he was not in the mood for it.

Gaito and the rest of the surfer boys had been worrying about Kaito during those three months that they all thought that he may lost his dominating appeal at first. It was not until about a month later that Gaito discovered that Kaito had prioritized his surfing career over fooling around with girls here and there. What was the latter for anyway? With or without being in a relationship he still was one of the more phenomenal, intimidating champion surfers around the country if not the world. His real fans--- the surfing fans--- also noticed the change based on concrete articles about him at major surfing magazines including the popular _Surfer Style_ magazine.

While everyone were going through their usual partying inside the house Kaito remained at the patio balcony area staring at the starry night sky. On his hand was a particular hand-woven white and blue-shaded bracelet with a small decorative red hibiscus flower logo near the tying end. This particular bracelet was very special to him and he did not wear it on a regular basis. He only wore this bracelet on major surfing tournaments as his good luck charm. He often called it his _competition bracelet_. The blue bracelet had a lot of history behind it and only he and his twin brother Gaito were the only ones who knew about the history.

Kaito had his blue competition bracelet for the past seven years and it was still a mystery to him regarding how he got this bracelet, but at the same time he felt that someone gave it to him. Even if that was the case Kaito only knew that ever since he received this bracelet that he started winning major surfing competitions. He still held the title of being the youngest surfer--- at age ten--- to win the Regional East Surfing Tournament, juniors division, just a few minutes from his older twin brother Gaito. He was like every other aspiring surfer during his younger days where he failed to win in the beginning but continued to climb up to the top. Since then he always remained on top on a completely fair level as long as he had the blue competition bracelet on his wrist.

_Whoever gave me this bracelet... thank you. You've helped me win all the tournaments I've entered for a long time. I wonder if I'll ever find you... and see you again..._

He held the white and blue bracelet tightly to him right when he heard the patio glass door sliding open. He did not turn his head to see who it was and let the person exit from the door. Gaito stood beside his twin, also looking at the stars.

"Not going to party along with the dudes, are you Kaito?" Gaito asked curiously as he sipped on his can of soda.

"I don't feel like partying..." Kaito answered, not looking directly at his twin. "I'm just tired of the same old crap."

"That's too bad. A lot of people came today. Some of the girls were wondering why you've been hanging around outside here for a long time. I don't really know what to tell them."

Kaito slightly turned his eyes towards Gaito, also resting himself against the railing of their balcony. "I started thinking about my savior again."

Gaito noticed the blue bracelet on his hand and knew immediately what he was talking about. "I have to thank that rescuer too. If she didn't dive for you I would be a complete orphan right now."

"You saw how the savior looked like? Why is it that I can't remember?"

"Oh yeah. I saw her. Remember how we were spending out at the family yacht celebrating Mom and Dad's wedding anniversary? While everyone was having fun you just wandered off outside and sang some song no one's heard of. Yeah, I followed you because I was worried about you, so I know."

Kaito lowered his head and sighed. "I don't sing anymore. Who sings stupid stuff like that by themselves anyway? I don't remember why I sang in the first place..."

"That's too bad, Kaito. I thought you were really cool singing really good like that. I can't even pick up a tune. No wonder the karaoke place had always been a favorite place for your _one-week girlfriends _to drag you up. But yeah, it's too bad you stopped."

"Gaito... do you remember how she looked like? The one who saved me, I mean?"

"Well, I took a glimpse for a bit but it was hard to see because it was dark... But I do know she was really brave... I mean what kid would swim out in the ocean and just stay there just so she can listen to you sing? Sure people would think that kid may be weird but I think she was brave enough to even swim out there just to listen to you singing."

Kaito placed his hand on his forehead and began to recall a small bit of what happened seven years ago during that ocean storm accident. Somehow there was a trigger that got him to remember those events and the reason why he had forgotten them. He gazed at the bracelet again and showed it to Gaito.

"The one who saved my life... gave me this?"

"Hard to say. We were split when that storm came and hit our yacht. I just gotta say you were lucky that night. You had a guardian angel. Sometimes I wish I had a guardian angel."

"I guess..." The twins fell silent and gazed out at the ocean, back in their contemplative mode once more. After a few moments Kaito stood up straight and turned to Gaito. "Hey, G. I think I'm gonna go out."

"Where are you going?"

"For a walk. I need to be alone right now." Kaito headed back to the door as Gaito watched him.

"Watch yourself. Get home safely."

"Yeah." After going through the busy party animals he reached the front door and exited. He crossed the street so he can walk along the sand. The street lights illuminating the sidewalk leading to the beach gave sight for those who love to stroll down the beach at late nights. As he headed off he placed his blue competition bracelet in his pocket.

Five minutes later at the third floor balcony of Pearl Waters, Lucia still remained at the balcony in that same contemplative mode though she was already in her pair of pink pajamas. Though she thought she may remain this way at her balcony she heard cheerful voices coming from inside. She turned her head to her patio door to see Coco, Caren, and Noel in their sleepwear entered her room with giggles and waves towards her.

"What are you girls doing here?" Lucia giggled and entered back to her bedroom.

"Why do we have to head to bed early, girl?" Coco chuckled happily. "We're on summer vacation! Why not hang out at the beach for awhile?"

"Are you girls crazy? We're like in PJ's and nighties and teddies! You want to get naked and swim or something?"

The twin sisters dashed to take Lucia by the wrist. "No silly!" Caren chortled with the huge grin on her face. "We're here to do our pre-first summer day celebration! Remember how we always gathered around at the beach and we sing and we dance and we play truth and dare games?"

"Yeah," Noel snickered, "and seduce hot dudes from their houses to come to us! I'm kidding about that part, of course."

"Oh I don't know, guys..." Lucia was rather reluctant at first when another familiar voice joined in their excitement.

"Okay, Lucia, don't back out on us now!"

Lucia and the three Carmeline girls turned to see Rina and Hanon in their sleeping attire at the door. She ran to them with a surprised look. "Rina! Hanon! I thought you guys won't be moving in for the summer until tomorrow?"

Rina snickered and winked. "Oh we can't wait. Coco's right, you know. We're on break starting tomorrow and it's pointless to sleep this early. I just had a feeling you people are gonna hang out at the beach this late and you think I'm gonna miss this?"

Hanon, who was still new to this whole Pearl Waters _pre-first summer day _ritual, still looked rather confused. "Rina... dragged me from my house and convinced me to just move in tonight so... here I am!"

"Nice!" The three girls gave a thumbs up towards Hanon while Caren reached for a bunch of beach blankets for the girls. "Let's go, ladies!"

The six girls reminded Nicola that they were going to hang out at the beach for a few moments across the street and made sure that they do not wander off far from the Pearl Waters zone. Once they arrived Caren spread out the beach blankets while Noel and Coco carried out rocks and wood to build a bonfire at the sand.

"Hey, this is pretty cool!" Hanon expressed her first impression with this little beach outing as she watched Noel and Coco build a bonfire. This was indeed perfect as fire can be put out by the sand or by the water when needed to be diffused. "So you guys do these campfire beach hangout things at night?"

"Oh yeah! This is why summer at Nijibe is the best ever!" Coco winked at Hanon. "This is our own version of a Girls' Night Out! We do these once in awhile in the summer, but it'd be fun when there's a lot more with us!"

Caren pushed her long, curly dark hair behind her shoulders in a rather flirtatious way and sighed. "It'd be a lot better when we have hot dudes hanging out with us though. I was gonna drag Taro and even call Rihito up but those guys are busy doing their composing thing for the band tomorrow."

Noel shook her head with a grin. "I swear, will you stop thinking about boys at this point, Caren? There's always tomorrow daytime. All your _hot dudes _will be here!"

"Still, Noel... the night is too long..." Caren sighed deeply while the rest of the girls laughed at her reaction.

"Well then," Coco changed the subject. "Let's talk. We need to catch up. What's the happs, girlfriends?"

Rina began the all-girl gossip around the bonfire. "Nothing much... except for the first time that Lucia and I got hit on by the Rainbowside Surf Tribe earlier today..."

Hanon grinned proudly. "Thanks to me, you and Lucia are getting noticed--- even the Doumoto Twins are checking you guys out!"

"Oh please, Hanon, Gaito Doumoto hardly even looked at Lucia and me--- and that other twin Kaito wasn't even around when we walked home." Rina corrected Hanon followed by more laughter from the girls.

"But the real story here is our very own Lucia!" Hanon cheered happily, which caught interest of the rest of the girls around the bonfire.

"Ooh... our dear, sweet, innocent Lucia?" Caren grinned happily. "What is it, Lucia? Got a new boyfriend or something?"

Lucia quickly shook her head, blushing in embarrassment. "No! Nothing happened!"

Coco interrupted right then and made her statement. "Really, Lucia? A little bird whispered to me earlier that a certain hot surfer boy has a certain special interest in you... do tell, Lucia!"

"No--- you got it all wrong--- we just talked about surfing--- _surfing_!" Lucia insisted the truth with her first conversation with Kaito earlier today. "There's that surf scenes tournament coming up and the dudes need help!"

"Stop changing the subject, Lucia! Come on, you can tell us," Caren winked, still eager to hear the latest news of the day. "It's not like there's anyone around here at the beach besides us fine girls, you know?"

At that time Kaito found himself feeling a lot more relaxed as the ocean rolled in against the shore on his walk. Though he finally found peace and ease within him he detected soft noises coming from behind him. Quickly he turned his head to see if there was anyone following him or there just happened to be random bystanders hanging around near him. He almost lost his balance once he saw the rest of his surfer dudes along with his twin brother Gaito lingering behind them.

"What the--- what are you dudes doing here? Are you guys spying on me or something?" Kaito asked curiously towards the boys.

Daichi was the first to answer: "We're just worried about you, Kaito. I mean... not feeling like partying in the middle of a party? Obviously there's something wrong so we had to keep an eye on you."

Kaito quickly glared towards Gaito thinking it was his idea to follow him from behind. Gaito directly answered: "They dragged me here, so I have nothing to do with it."

"So... all of you left our guests back home?" Kaito asked curiously, worried about the guests trashing their _shack_ when they were left alone.

"Oh no!" Kengo snickered. "We kicked them all out once we realized you went missing!"

Masahiro stepped forward and faced Kaito. "There's something you're not telling us, Kaito. You don't just leave the house during a party and then tell us that you wanted to take a walk and be alone. You know you can always talk to us whenever there's something bothering you."

"Nothing's wrong with me, Hamasaki," Kaito reminded his bespectacled friend. "I just have a lot of stuff in my mind right now--- the surf scenes tournament and all this planning and all that is really getting me stoked... especially the tandem surfing thing. Why the heck did these officials decided to make things harder by putting in that event? I guess I'm kinda losing my cool about it."

Nagisa joined in the conversation and stated his opinion. "Knowing you Kaito, you're never serious with any girl. What I'm trying to say is that you're not the commitment type when it comes to girls. And this whole tandem surfing thing is bothering you because it's forcing you to finally get serious. But there's nothing in the rules that say that your partner has to be your lover or something... right?"

Kaito turned his head away from the others and continued walking on his path. "I don't care about all that _getting serious _stuff! You don't just enter a major competition like that to fall in love! You enter a major competition like that _to win_! No one cares how good you look or how your good your chick looks--- this is a competitive sport!" He sighed deeply and continued on. "Look, guys. I'm losing my cool because none of us--- well except Gaito and Sara here--- have no experience in competitive tandem surfing! Two months of training in tandem surfing isn't enough either for those who's never done it before."

The boys continued on their sandy stroll with Masahiro answering from behind. "Lucky for you, Kaito, all of us--- Shiroi here, more or less--- are individual surf pros. If we can rip the waves and come out victorious on our own, what's one more person sharing our surfboard, dude?"

"Yeah," Kengo snickered while daydreaming certain visions in his head. "Especially if that one more person happens to be a hot, sizzling chick..."

Kaito shook his head, showing his disagreement with his friends. "I don't have time to fool around this summer. I don't have time to run and hide whenever I get spotted by girls. I don't have time to party with random people I've never met. And most of all, I don't have time to check out chicks and find someone I'm interested in and fall in love---"

Just as Kaito was about to complete his statement the boys were distracted by random laughter close by. Thanks to their expert ears they immediately knew that young females were the ones making those cheerful and in some ways tantalizing giggles. Kaito turned to the surf tribe and hushed them to be silent.

"Holy cow!" Daichi whispered loudly with grins on his face. "There's chicks nearby!"

"Hell yeah!" Kengo, Masahiro, and Nagisa cheered happily as they forced to lean closer against the rock for a clearer view through the spaces and a more vivid voice.

Gaito slowly backed away knowing he should not get involved with this particular situation. "Uh... I think I should head back home..."

Kaito softly chuckled and shrugged his arms as Daichi and Kengo dragged him closer to the rocks. "Okay... maybe tonight is an exception." Slowly he leaned forward and found a space large enough for him to have a good view of the girls around their bonfire.

"Alright, alright. I give up. I'll stay here and wait until you peeping toms are done..." Gaito sighed and leaned against the rocks, waiting.

There were nearby rocks large enough for them to hide behind and eavesdrop. The rocks that placed a barrier between them was just a few feet close to the bonfire that the girls of Pearl Waters created. At this point the girls were still teasing Lucia regarding her love life. Luckily for Lucia, Kaito and the surfer boys did not catch the entire story, but they did catch what they recently heard.

"So, what's this story Rina told me about you and this mysterious childhood loverboy, Lucia?" Noel snickered while Coco and Caren turned to each other with smirks on their faces.

"Yeah! Details, Lucia, details!" Coco and Caren cheered excitedly.

Lucia sighed with a slight frown on her face. "But you guys already know the story. Rina already told you!"

"True, but it's best if we hear it from the person who experienced it all!" Coco winked.

Rina laid down on her beach blanket, relaxing with a smile on her face and her arms behind her head. "Oh come on now, Lucia. The story sounds so much better when it's coming from you."

"And you know we _never _get tired of your super-sweet and romantic childhood story, Lucia," Hanon added her comment. She laid herself down on her beach blanket in the same position as Rina. "You should seriously write this on a blog or something so the entire world can read it!"

Meanwhile behind the rocks while the rest of the surfer boys continued their eavesdropping Kaito murmured some words mentioned in that conversation to himself. _Mysterious childhood loverboy...? Lucia Nanami...? Maybe that's why no guys want to date her... she's looking for him?_

"Noooo..." Lucia cried in embarrassment and lowered her head. "This is my story that only a few people deserve to hear..."

"Hey, I got an idea!" Hanon exclaimed while getting herself up from her beach blanket. "I bet Lucia has a shorter version of this story! Well, Lucia?"

Lucia fell silent at first, then moments later answered Hanon. "Well... I wouldn't say a short version... but I have a song for it."

"A song!" The girls cheered and giggled and waited for Lucia to sing this small tune that depicted her childhood memory.

"Not again, Lucia." Hanon laughed. "You got a song for this childhood event too? All of a sudden I'm no longer surprised."

"What's wrong with that, Hanon? I think it's cute!" Coco brought out an opinion. "Come on, Lucia, sing to us your story!"

"Just don't laugh, okay?" Lucia chuckled and cleared her throat. Everyone on scene fell silent and waited for Lucia to sing her story.

_When I was a girl_

_Around the age of seven to ten_

_I dreamed of my man to be_

_He was handsome to me then_

Behind the rocks Kaito's eyes widened and leaned his back against the rocks, facing the guys. He closed his eyes, swallowing himself. His mind immediately flashed a visual version of Lucia's story. At that time he felt a drop of sweat slowly pouring down the side of his head.

Nagisa realized Kaito's reaction right then and spoke: "Kaito, dude, I think she's singing about you!"

"Shhh!" Quickly the entire surf tribe with the exception of Kaito hushed the young boy. Nagisa immediately covered his head. Kaito paid no attention to Nagisa's side comment and continued to listen to Lucia's song.

_But now I want a man_

_Who's handsome but loving too_

_For this man should want my love_

_And hold her closely to his heart_

_When I come to him_

_I'm sure we'll never part_

_For I'll... I'll love that man_

_I'll love that man..._

After Lucia ended her song that same silence was still there. As for the boys, Kaito began to walk away from the rocks, heading towards the opposite direction where their _shack_ was located. The rest of the boys tiptoed and followed him so they did not have to get detected by the girls.

"Kaito!" Masahiro reached for him as the boys walked in the same pace as him. "Why'd you walk out like that, man? I thought that song was beautiful!"

"I'll say," Daichi answered with his eyes looking rather surprised. "Who would have thought someone like Lucia Nanami would sing beautifully like that--- and all that for some missing dude she saved when she was a kid? I wonder what happened then since she didn't really like... tell the entire story."

"I'm getting tired so I'm going home." Kaito answered to the boys' concerns and continued to head his way back home.

Nagisa caught up to Kaito and was walking backwards while facing him. "Okay Kaito--- I know you said you don't have time to check out chicks or something but surely you got some thoughts about that song. I know I'm no music expert and all but the way she sang that? It was like... it was straight from her heart!"

Kaito looked up right at Nagisa with a stern look. "Just leave me alone. I'm not in the mood to talk about it." Right then he passed by Nagisa and ran back to their shack.

"What'd I say?" Nagisa wondered curiously while the rest of the boys caught up to him. "What'd I do now?"

"Dude, what's up with Kaito's attitude, man." Kengo shrugged his arms but still have that worried look about Kaito. "Okay, so we heard Nanami sing a song different from her hip and cool _swingin' and a surfin' _song with Touin earlier but jeez, what's up with that?"

Gaito passed by the boys and turned his head towards them. "The song got to Kaito. Thus, the attitude."

"I don't get it!" The boys reacted in curiosity.

"He's in love." Gaito snickered and winked at the boys and went ahead of them to the shack.

Nagisa turned to the boys curiously. "Wait--- Kaito? We're talking about Kaito Doumoto, right? _Falling in love _is not even in his personal category!"

"No kidding, Shiroi." Kengo nodded in agreement. "And of all the girls--- Nanami? _Lucia the Loser _Nanami? Well, that's what the Rainbow Pop Girls and some of Kaito's fan girls refer to her as anyway..."

Daichi scratched his head as the remaining surfer boys continued their path back to the Doumoto Residence. "Well Nanami isn't that bad. I think she's kinda cute. It's just that she's... um... you know... _Conservative_."

"What's wrong with conservative girls, Daichi?" Kengo asked curiously. "Who cares about _conservative_, as long as the babe's hot like fire, right?"

Nagisa placed his hands in to the pockets of his jeans and frowned. "Most of the cool kids think anybody works at Pearl Waters are a bunch of weirdos as far as I know--- but ever since Hanon started working there last year the kids' views of them changed. Everybody in this town is so shallow nowadays..."

Masahiro sighed and led the group as the third-in-command. "Okay, dudes, enough with the gossip--- and we're supposed to be dudes and dudes don't gossip. Maybe Kaito is tired tonight and wanted to head to bed. Big deal. We'll see those Pearl Waters peeps tomorrow since the hot spot of the beach now happens to be across from Pearl Waters."

"Yeah!" Nagisa nodded in agreement. "Don't forget that we're heading out to Pearl Waters and seek that band!"

After the brief chatter the boys headed back to the shack, leaving the girls to their own beach camp.

In the meantime the girls still remained silent when Hanon spoke out. "That's it with your song, Lucia? There's barely any details in there!"

"Hanon! I just took a break for a bit because I haven't really finished it, but here's a few more." Lucia cleared her throat while the rest of the girls continued to relax on their beach blankets, ready to listen to her song.

_A token, I give to you_

_Pearly white and shades of blue_

_I wonder if you think of me_

_The time I set you free from the sea_

_'Till now I still look for you_

_I hope you're looking for me too_

_For one day we'll meet again_

_Together, now and then_

_I cry all out to you_

_My love is forever and true_

_For you're... you are that man_

_You are that man..._

After a few moments the girls got up from their beach blankets while their bonfire was slowly dying out. They felt the sea's tides getting a bit stronger and it may be dangerous if they stay longer. They got up from their spots, folded their beach blankets, and put off their fire by kicking some sand on to it. As they crossed the street back to Pearl Waters the girls gave their thoughts.

"Okay, my question here is that token bit," Coco spoke first. "What sort of _token _are we talking about here in your song?"

Lucia gave a rather innocent smile towards Coco and answered her. "A friendship bracelet. I remember it clearly because it's the very first bracelet I weaved. It was white with some shades of blue threads and there's a small red _Hibiscus _flower not too far from the bracelet's end. I kept looking at some of the boys' wrists in school a few times but I haven't had any luck. But deep in my heart..."

They reached inside Pearl Waters and took the inside stairs leading to the second floor where Lucia's room and some of the girls' rooms were located. The girls got inside Lucia's room and hung out there for a few more minutes before they head to their rooms and head to bed.

"Deep in your heart?" Noel asked curiously, still with interested looks in her eyes. "What's deep in your heart, Lucia?"

Lucia laid down on her bed and grabbed her stuffed animal penguin and cuddled it tightly to her. "Deep in my heart for some reason I feel that Kaito Doumoto was that... mysterious boy... that I rescued that night."

"Ooooh!" The girls snickered while Hanon streteched her arms and yawned.

"Can we tease and make fun of Lucia tomorrow, girls? I'm just about ready to collapse to bed now. We'll be pretty busy tomorrow."

"Yeah, same with Hanon," Rina nodded, also yawning at the same time. "Seriously, you girls should stop making fun of Lucia just because she's in love with a certain surfer dude that the entire girl population of Nijibe is also in love with. At least with Lucia it's true love. I mean the first thing that she and Kaito talked about when they first talked was, of all topics, surfing?"

"Lucia's no flirt, that's why," Caren winked and headed for the door. "So you're pretty much are in love with two boys—- your mysterious childhood sweetheart and Kaito Doumoto."

"No..." Lucia sighed deeply and turned her head to the opposite direction, facing the open door leading to the balcony. "My mysterious childhood boy and Kaito Doumoto are the same person... I still have yet to prove it because I placed my bracelet around his wrist before we ended up falling asleep in that rocky gave. He should still have that bracelet--- he can't just get rid of it. He's just too nice and kind to do so..."

"Well, you got a new mission tomorrow, girlfriend," Coco followed the rest of the girls to the door. "Once you get to talk to Kaito again tomorrow be sure you check his wrist and see if he's wearing that _token _of yours."

Lucia giggled softly as her reaction. "I will. I'll pretend I'm just interested on the accessories he wears... including his earrings..."

"Silly, Lucia. Sweet dreams, now, okay?" The girls exchanged their goodnight greetings to Lucia as they head themselves to bed.

Next day is officially the first day of summer. Any event considered insane to society can seriously happen.

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_

_FFnet really got me stressed out with all their technical glitches that took three days instead of a few minutes as the errors stated and that I wasn't able to upload any of my new chapters. I'm really beginning to worry that I may not be getting any reviews at all, which can be discouraging to me and I may end up stopping this fanfic altogether._

_As always, a few notes to mention..._

_#1 – We all know that in the anime and the manga that **Taro Mitsuki** and **Rihito Amagi** are both classical musicians with Mitsuki being the composer and Rihito being an orchestra conductor. In the case of my fanfic they're both music students and are quite well-versed with music altogether, which was why to me they were perfect to be part of a band, like a surf rock band, for example._

_#2 – **Coco**, **Caren**, and **Noel** do not have any last names to use while they're in their human form in the anime/manga. In this case I gave them last names and I also gave Coco a "real" name with "Coco" being a nickname that all her closest friends can refer her as._

_#3 – I made **Sara **and **Seira **as sisters in this fic, since both are Orange mermaid princesses of the Indian Ocena in the manga/anime. I think that's plain and simple._

_More to come, obviously! I still need **reviews** from you guys since I really do need your feedback to improve my fic. This is the 3rd chapter to be uploaded and I still haven't gotten any reviews since the intro was posted._

_**RATED T **for the the VERY mild language AND slight adult situations._

_**Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch** is © 2003 Pink Hanamori and Michiko Yokote. All songs used are © respected songwriters/owners. No copyright infringement intended._


	5. Surfer's First Day

**RIDE THE WILD SURF  
a Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch Fanfiction**

by Adrimarie

**Surfer's First Day  
**

The clock stroke at five-thirty in the morning and the young lanky blond boy Hippo Nanami was already awake. Though this may seem rather odd for a normal twelve-year-old, Hippo's habits of waking up very early morning was normal to the Nanami Family. This particular day was known as the first day of summer for everyone around Nijibe, but as for Hippo it was an important day for him.

Once he got up and washed himself he gazed at his desktop calendar with today's date circled with red ink. His late ex, a beautiful young girl named Yuri Suiyou, would have turned thirteen today had she still been alive. Periodically Hippo had the habit of biking his way to a particular cliff in a rocky mountainous area known as Rainbow Valley Ravine, overlooking the ocean where he and Yuri used to meet and used to run away to whenever they needed some time alone. Before Yuri's tragic death she left him to pursue the heart of a certain surfer boy, which obviously caused Hippo a lot of pain through his heart break. Ironically enough it was because of that certain surfer boy that caused Yuri to take her own life at their very own cliff.

The news article that was posted on Hippo's wall with the headline of _Pre-Teen Girl's Death Determined as Suicide – Police Reported Young Girl Jumped off Rainbow Valley Ravine and Drowned _pertained to Hippo's former love's suicidal death. The article dated last year, just a week after Yuri's death. Hippo used to visit Yuri's grave at that particular cliff almost every other day and still does to this day. During their relationship no one in his school, not even his long time classmates Nagisa Shiroi and Seira Iria, even knew of his young romance with Yuri, simply because these two were not exactly in the Top Popular Kids' list among their class level. Even if that was the case neither Hippo nor Yuri cared if their relationship was known or not.

Hippo particularly woke up early today to write a quick note to his sister Nicola so she did not panic when they find him missing in his room. He already had a bouquet of both red and white flowers specially ordered through the neighborhood florist not too far from Pearl Waters and arranged with the florist that he would pick up the flowers very early morning at six. Though the flowers are for Yuri's birth anniversary this particular day was also the day Hippo decided to make his final goodbye. He had a dream last night of Yuri appearing to him and gave him some form of prophecy. Yuri's spirit wanted Hippo to find true love again and that she wanted him to smile once again. She often reminded him how his smile was what made her fall in love with him and that ever since Yuri's death that Hippo's smile disappeared.

The heart break that one particular surfer boy drove Yuri to take her own life by jumping off the cliff and drown down the sea that surrounded the foot of the cliff. It was because of this reason that he became overprotective of his sister Lucia from getting close to her longtime crush, Kaito Doumoto. To make things clear it was a Doumoto Twin who caused Yuri's suicide. The problem at this point was which one of the twins whom Yuri pursued that caused his relationship with her. He already forgave Yuri many times during his grave visits but still cannot forgive that surfer boy who caused Yuri's broken heart. Hippo was afraid that Lucia may end up suffering the same type of heartbreak that Yuri did, but what Hippo did not realize was that Lucia had been in love with Kaito since her younger days while Yuri had been crushing on a Doumoto Twin for only a short while. Still, Hippo did not want to risk someone with that same heartbreak that can lead that someone to suicide.

Though this was the case Hippo also admired the Doumoto Twins. His love for surfing and surf photography got him interested in the surfing culture and the sport's most prominent seasoned surfers that drove fans wild with their mad skills and phenomenal techniques but as for Hippo just seeing the perfect form of the waves and the surfers showing off their tricks was pure art to him. He wanted to capture everything in detail through precise photographs and show them off to the world, both surf enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts alike. His alluring photo of Kaito Doumoto doing his 360 aerials from a raging swell was simply perfect that _Surfer Styles _magazine decided to make this particular shot as a special pinup. For the fan girls the photo made them become hardcore neophytes of their surf prince. But for Hippo, the Kaito Doumoto pinup in this month's issue was his personal triumphant victory.

_If only you would be true to Lucia and not a prominent heartbreaker, Kaito Doumoto... Poor Lucia... I don't want her heart being toyed and torn... just like how Yuri had hers by the likes of you..._

Before he can get ready he called the florist to confirm he would pick his order of roses in just a few minutes. Afterwards he proceeded to get ready from his clothes to his camera equipment backpack.

A few minutes later at the Doumoto _shack_, Kaito woke up gradually right when he caught the rather seductive sound of a woman next to him. He did not remember sleeping on his bed with someone next to him since his friends did tell him that they got rid of the partying crowd once he went off for a walk at the beach last night. When he went ahead to go home he knew he was alone. But with one eye open he felt the alluring warmth of another body surrounding him.

Kaito had not been sleeping with a girl next to him for the last three months ever since he ended his _one-week girlfriend _habit. He certainly knew he did not invite some random pretty girl to spend the night with him. The question now was how did he end up having a girl sleeping next to him just now. Quickly he gazed at himself and sighed in relief. He still had his his t-shirt and his bottom PJ on. Nothing crazy happened in his sleep at all.

_What's up... I can't get up from my bed... just who is this girl with me...?_

He rubbed his eyes for a clearer view when he heard his door open. He was startled and dropped himself back to his bed to see his older twin entering his room.

"Hurry up, Kaito, get up!" Gaito exclaimed. Right then both Kaito and the mysterious girl rose up from the bed. Gaito's eyes widened in shock to see the face of the girl sleeping next to his twin.

"... Sara? What are you doing here?"

The tall, lengthy orange-red haired siren named Sara Iria looked up and found her boyfriend just standing right at the door, gazing right towards them. She looked down at herself and appeared semi-naked with just a brassiere and a pair of short shorts on her. Right then she turned her head slowly to her side and found her boyfriend's twin brother snickering right at her. At that moment Sara screamed and jumped off his bed.

"PERVERT!" Sara shrieked in panic and slapped Kaito with a pillow on his head. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

Kaito raised his arm to protect himself and recovered. Still with that smirk on his face he answered. "Hey, this is my room! But man, Sara... I know you're head over heels on my twin but I never knew you're desperate to get down and heavy with me too..."

"OH MY GOD! YOU REALLY ARE--- UGH!" Sara quickly grabbed her top that was on the ground and ran right next to Gaito while Kaito burst up laughing. "I'm so sorry, Gaito, it's not what you think it is! I meant to surprise you when you wake up and I thought Kaito was you..."

"Oh?" Gaito gave a slight grin, looking rather interested at the small situation. "Do tell, Sara."

Kaito stood up from his bed, grabbed a white t-shirt and placed it over him. He enjoyed the little moment with Sara and continued. "You know, G, you need to shield me from Sara because even if you two are serious with each other she can get delusional." He turned to Sara and approached her while the completely embarrassed lady clung on to Gaito's arm, backing away from the twin brother.

"Then again, in my case, babe," Kaito gently lifted Sara by the chin, still with the same smirk on his face. "As twins, your man and I are mentally connected. Anything he feels, I feel it too. When you tried all you can to seduce me in my sleep, he felt it too. So in other words, if you feel the need to get hot and heavy when you're man's not around, I'm your best choice available to cater to all your passionate needs!" Right along with the latter he gave one of his signature winks at his twin's girlfriend.

Sara screamed in chagrin and immediately slapped Kaito on the face. "PIG! STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Instantly she left the room to head to the restroom looking both embarrassed and angry at the same time.

Kaito gently rubbed his cheek from the slap and turned to Gaito. "Don't worry about a thing, G. You know I'm not gonna touch her like that. But I can't help it that she was really going down on me thinking she was you. On the other hand, it's all good with me!"

Gaito shook his head with a slight smirk on his face. "You moron. Hurry up and get dressed. We got breakfast and work to do. Shiroi was already ahead of us and he's already out there at the beach with Sara's sister."

Kaito gazed at the watch on his wrist to check the time. "Jeez, it's six o'clock! Why so early?"

"We got no time to waste, Kaito. Let's have breakfast. Sara and Seira apparently decided to surprise us by coming over this morning. I left the extra key underneath the map so the girls can come in anytime..."

"And you're calling me a moron?" Kaito snickered as he followed Gaito out from his room.

Once the boys, along with Gaito's elusive lover Sara, gathered at the kitchen table and had their breakfast compliments of Sara's intricate cooking skills, the discussion about what they need to do today was brought up.

"Gaito hun," Sara called for her cool and silent man as she gazed at him eating his pancakes, scrambled eggs, and sausage. "So, I got your text on my cell about this tournament that you dudes are really stoked with. I wanted to tell you and your dudes this in person because you know I want a sweep too."

Gaito lifted his head while taking a bite from his sausage. "Are you talking about our surfer girl team dilemma, Sara?"

Sara chuckled in a rather seductive way; at least that's what the rest of the boys thought. She answered with a wink on her face. "You dudes only got one place to go if you want to find your surfer girls."

"There is...?" Kengo and Daichi exclaimed in shock while subconsciously gazed at the slightly revealing perfectly-shaped cleavage on Sara's chest.

"Yes, there is, Kengo and Daichi," Sara snickered, knowing that the two boys were just staring at her own cleavage. "Now boys, the faster you finish your breakfast instead of taking your time staring at my cleavage the more you'll have time to prepare, hm?"

The two boys lowered their heads knowing they were caught. Masahiro answered briefly to Sara. "Thanks for helping us out, Sara. You have no idea how much this tournament means to us--- even if it's the first time this type of tournament is being held. And of all places they chose Nijibe as their premiere location of the tournament. Experts say the swells of our ocean this summer is gonna be the wildest, most ferocious this entire country has ever seen, so we gotta show the entire surf world that not only our town deserves to host this event, but we also rule over this tournament as well!"

"And you sorry losers are biased as well." Sara added with her arms crossed and a stare that brings domination over the boys present. "Good thing the beach where Pearl Waters is located at became outraged with the huge waves rolling in. It's calling all of you surfers forth to head to that particular strip. All the mysteries of what real surf culture is like lies at that strip. That's what I meant when I said that all the concepts you need to enter that tournament is in one place."

The surfers turned to each other looking confused and wondered what Sara truly meant. Gaito took over the conversation and spoke to his love. "I'm a little lost, Sara. You said we're biased?"

Sara sat on an empty seat of the dining area and crossed her arms. "You dudes always hang out and surf at the downtown strip because all the _cool kids_ hang out there. Yeah, all the _cool kids_ alright but sometimes it makes me wonder what these _cool kids_ have. As far as I'm concerned you guys are the real _cool kids _and real _cool kids _take the time to actually look for a particular strip of the beach where all the best waves are." She paused for a bit to get herself comfortable with her seating and continued. "A little bird told me one day that these _cool kids _you talked about actually think that anyone who hangs out at Pearl Waters are a bunch of weird and uncool kids? I'd like to know what's wrong with Pearl Waters."

Gaito leaned back on his seat and answered Sara. "Don't look at me. I didn't say that Pearl Waters is uncool or anyone who hangs out there are uncool. In fact I've been pondering on visiting there myself, but everyone else in this crew thinks that if I go there then I'll be deemed a loser---"

"Quit lying, G," Kaito stepped in from out of the blue. "You think the same as well." He turned to Sara again and continued. "I'm not gonna lie to you, Sara, but I fell for the false statement with all these _cool kids _been saying about that place. Those _Rainbow Pop Girls _clique and all those idiot _kooks _and _Judiths_ who think they're cool with us but actually don't share the same passion as we do kept feeding us a lot of crap about other people. I realized that fact yesterday when I..."

Right at that point Kaito trailed his statement and decided to keep quiet about it. Sara probed at Kaito to continue. "You realized it yesterday? What happened yesterday?"

Kaito went back to his breakfast and continued to eat without answering. Masahiro sighed and turned his head towards Sara. "Kaito spoke to Lucia Nanami yesterday. You know her family owns Pearl Waters."

Sara slowly snickered and crossed her arms. "Is that so, Kaito? She's the younger sister of one of my close friends. I'm pretty sure you dudes are familiar with the manager of Pearl Waters, Nicola Nanami, right?"

_No, Sara... not really. Those stupid popular kids getting me to think that Lucia Nanami is... what was it that they called her again? "Lucia the Loser" Nanami? After yesterday I feel like she knows more about the sport I love than I do. _Kaito sighed and hid his face a bit to hide his inner guilt. "I feel really stupid now..."

"Aw, don't feel bad, Kaito," Sara chuckled. "If you don't know, now you know. And for those who still don't understand what I meant by one place, I'll just cut to the chase. Now that you all know about Pearl Waters, more or less, all the stuff that you need to enter the tournament is in that place and anywhere near that place. The beach you all discovered yesterday? Everything you need happens to be there."

Daichi answered from out of the blue, facing Sara. "You know something we don't know, do you, Sara?"

Sara laughed and gazed at Gaito, who returned the smile towards her. She turned back to Daichi and responded. "Why don't you find out yourself, hm?"

"We will," Masahiro nodded in agreement. "Besides, I have an appointment with the lovely Rina Touin at the beach across from Pearl Waters regarding our beach babe entry to the tournament. I just need to find a way to convince her and not turn away from me when she sees me. Right now she has ill reactions towards me because of my little mistake yesterday but I can make that up today. I just hope she doesn't ignore me when she sees me..."

"Dude, Hamasaki," Kengo answered with enthusiasm while he placed his fork down on his plate. "You're like one of the hottest dudes in school and you make kids with glasses look really cool because of you. And you rip through your motorbike as well as you rip the waves! What kind of girl wouldn't want you, man?"

Masahiro snickered slightly and shook his head. "Rina Touin wouldn't be one of those girls, Kengo. But that's okay. As Gaito said yesterday, true love is not a project with deadlines. But don't get me wrong though. I'm not pursuing Rina Touin. I don't want to scare her like that and if she wants a relationship with me, that's up to her."

Kengo scratched his head noticing Nagisa was missing at the breakfast table. "Hey, where'd that shrimp go? Now I realized he's missing."

Sara snickered and shook her head. "My little sister Seira woke him up first. You see, her and Nagisa are working on their assignment."

Masahiro snapped his fingers realizing what that was. "That's right. Nagisa said he was going to take care of the surf band problem. That would mean they're heading out to Pearl Waters already..."

"I don't get it," Daichi joined in the conversation. "If Nagisa knows who to talk to at Pearl Waters then how come Seira is with him?"

Sara nodded to confirm. "They're going to Pearl Waters to see Nicola's little brother Hiroki--- or Hippo, his nickname. He's the drummer and occasionally does vocals. In case you didn't know Seira dumped Nagisa for her new found feelings for Hippo. Poor kid..."

"Nagisa?" Daichi and Kengo asked curiously wondering who Sara was referring to.

"Well okay, poor Nagisa because my sister broke his heart when she realized that her true feelings were towards Hippo awhile ago, but I can see that both Seira and Nagisa got over the whole break up thing and remained friends. Besides, I know Nagisa's already got his eye on Hanon Houshou, correct? Actually I'm referring to Hippo..."

"Why's that?" Masahiro asked curiously.

Sara turned her head and faced the window overlooking the ocean. "Remember the tragedy a year ago in your school? It was about a girl who took her own life on one of the cliffs of Rainbow Valley Ravine? Don't tell me you dudes forgot about all about it after a year later..."

Kaito raised an eyebrow of curiosity and then noticed Gaito sighing and lowered his head. Just with that reaction alone Kaito already suspected that Gaito knew the story Sara just mentioned. He did remember that tragic incident that occurred a year ago. It was all over the news and even throughout school. In fact, he remembered seeing Lucia crying over the tragedy during class last year and often wondered the type of relationship she had with the girl. Maybe a close friend?

"Was this girl a close friend of Lucia Nanami, Sara?" Kaito asked curiously with his fingers on his chin.

Sara smiled towards Kaito. "You ask too many questions, Kaito. I'd like to tell you but we're wasting our time chit-chatting and gossiping here. If you want to know about this whole thing, why don't you ask Lucia?"

Kaito shrugged his arm as the entire crew stood up and began cleaning up their dishes. It was time for them to proceed with their plans to complete their entire entry in to the First Annual Surf Scenes Tournament.

In the meantime out at the beach were the younger surf bums in the form of twelve-year-olds Nagisa Shiroi and Sara's younger sister, twelve-year-old Seira Iria, making their way to the direction where this summer's hottest beach strip was located. Though that was not their prior destination they hoped that they would catch Hippo Nanami awake at this time. The time was six-fifteen in the morning and the former young couple were nearing Pearl Waters.

"I don't see why you have to come along, Seira." Nagisa sighed while Seira had her arm around his while strolling together. Though the break up took place around eight months ago just about a month after the tragedy they were able to rebuild their friendship together and remained at that level ever since. It was easy for them to rebuild their friendship simply because of their new different interests now. Both were aiming for the same goal, except that the goal was Hanon Houshou and Hippo Nanami.

"You need me on this one, Nagisa," Seira stated in a serious tone as she continued to drag him along with her. "Besides, I don't think you and Hippo Nanami get along smoothly as far as I'm concerned."

Nagisa sighed deeply and turned to the excited Seira. "That thing with me and Hippo... I have to admit to you that I started the whole thing. You know he's not one of the _cool kids _in school and I was just miffed that you had to break up with me for him. I didn't know he'd be this tough with guys like me and would immediately hate me for what I did to him..."

Seira gave a _hmph _at her young ex and responded. "I don't care what those idiot _cool kids _think. You and I were both part of that dumb clique. I'm just glad I was strong enough to stop hanging around with them after what happened to Yuri Suiyou last year. I think I was the only one who noticed Hippo Nanami completely torn that day and yet I didn't do anything to help him because I was one of the _cool kids_. You know, I've always liked Hippo Nanami. I think he's the hottest cutie ever to exist in our class and he's a really sensitive guy. Guys like him are really rare nowadays... I have to admit he's a lot cuter than you."

Nagisa rolled his eyes and turned his head away. "Okay... I admit he's actually _all that _with some girls but he's not in the same league as us. He was one of those band geeks and always took pictures of the beach all the time. Like okay, we all love the beach but I can't imagine myself getting attached to beach addiction you know."

Seira shook her head, ignoring what Nagisa just said, as they kept strolling at the beach. A few feet more and they found a good glimpse of Pearl Waters right at their sight. They finally reached their destination.

Nagisa found the _Closed _sign at the door of Pearl Waters and opted to back off slightly even if they were not right at the door just yet. "Maybe we should wait until they open."

"They open at noon, Nagisa." Seira laughed at Nagisa's concern. "Obviously you've never been to Pearl Waters before. Okay, I thought only lame kids would go there but after Sara took me there at one point to visit her friends Nicola Nanami and Coco Pacifica it wasn't that bad like everyone says. Everyone is so friendly there and they feel so free--- like they're never pressured to do whatever they want. It was then that I realized that being with the _cool kids _made me feel like I wasn't being who I really am. I always felt pressure and concern whenever I'm with them and I envied the Nanamis and the people who work there because they seem to enjoy themselves and didn't have to resort to peer pressure just for them to remain cool... and I think that makes them a lot cooler than what everyone thinks." She released Nagisa's arm and smiled happily at him. "Hippo Nanami is a guy with a lot of talents. Sure he seems quiet and... distant... but there's a lot of things you don't know about him. I was fortunate enough to get to talk to him and give him support a few days after Yuri Suiyou's death because I feel that he needed a friend."

"Oh..." Nagisa frowned and crossed his arms. The two kids found a spot at the sand and decided to sit there for awhile. "I never really did apologize to him for putting him on the spot like that in front of the _cool kids_. The guys made fun of him when they found out that he actually had a relationship with that Yuri girl, calling him a... what was that? A _necro..._"

"Necrophiliac," Seira answered and sighed deeply. "That was just cruel... what you guys did... but luckily for you Hippo was a lot tougher than that, but I can tell deep inside he felt insulted because you had just insulted Yuri Suiyou's spirit. But even if that was the case I grew fond of him. He was in the school band, sure, but he was the lead drummer in the school band's drum corps and he was also the drummer for the school's jazz band too. He was so cool behind the drum set. He was totally rockin'! That's why I'm excited to see him play tonight at Pearl Waters along with the rest of the band!"

Nagisa nodded in agreement and changed the subject. "That's why you and I are here at the beach across from Pearl Waters. We're here to get that band to enter the tournament with us. Now I'm curious who's in that band and what their band name is."

"Lucia Nanami, Hippo's sister, and Rina Touin are in the band. Lucia usually plays rhythmic guitar when needed and sometimes Rina would play the sax when also needed. Taro Mitsuki is Hippo's and Lucia's cousin--- and Sara's ex too--- and from what I heard he's going to start as a teacher in our school when we get back, so he moved here permanently. He plays lead guitar--- you should listen to those awesome guitar rips that he does sometimes--- he's so cool! Finally we got the final member, the ever-so-handsome Rihito Amagi... He's a famous orchestra conductor at such a young age whenever orchestral music is in season, but during summer he's a surf bum at heart! He plays bass guitar in the band. Now they gotta find a good name for themselves if they were going to enter the tournament."

"Right..." Just when Nagisa answered they heard the door at Pearl Waters open. The two looked up to see who just opened the door.

"Hey... it's Hippo!" Seira shrieked in silence and watched Hippo replace the _Closed _sign on the door.

"What?" Nagisa remained at his spot with Seira, watching Hippo exiting Pearl Waters with a huge backpack and a bicycle. He rode the bike to the continuous direction, which tempted Nagisa and Seira to follow Hippo from behind. "Where's he going?"

"I... I don't know..." Seira scratched her head as they continued to follow Hippo on his bike. Just moments later Hippo stopped in front of a building. The two spotted the painted window showing that the place was a floral shop.

Hippo got off from his bike and knocked on the door. The owner of the floral shop greeted him and handed him a bouquet or red and white roses. He paid the owner his money and then proceeded to his destination. Once again Nagisa and Seira used whatever energy they have left to follow Hippo to his destination.

"Seira--- I don't think we should follow him... he's got a bike!"

"Oh don't be such a wimp, Nagisa. We'll just meet him there and we can pretend that we just happened to be on the spot, you know?" Instantly Seira dragged Nagisa along with her, trailing Hippo from behind.

"Seira... leave the poor guy alone..."

After a few moments they finally reached Hippo's destination. Both Seira and Nagisa rested and caught their breath realizing that they had just climbed the trail to a particular cliff. At the same time they found a good place for them to hide and watch Hippo's activity at the top of the cliff, looking a lot more curious than ever.

Hippo found the edge of the cliff and at a good distance was a small stone memorial that had his late ex's name along with the years she lived from the year she was born to the year she decided to end her life. Right at the bottom of her name and the years had the inscription:

_An angel lost but now found_

_An angel blind but now can see_

He placed the roses in front and stood back at a good distance and gazed at the entire memorial stone. He looked around to be sure that no one was around and began to speak.

"Happy Thirteenth Birthday, Yuri. Well... it's been a year since you left us, but throughout that year I always felt that you were always here with me. I... I saw in a dream not too long ago and I guess I wanted to thank you for that dream. You had no idea how much that meant to me. I'm glad that you appeared to me again one last time and spend one moment together. I heard you still apologizing for all of this and I still want to let you know that I've already forgiven you. But along with that I finally realized what you were trying to do. Last night and earlier today I felt that I am ready to do this, Yuri."

Meantime Nagisa wondered and asked Seira: "Oh no... is he going to... kill himself?" Seira hushed Nagisa softly and both remained silent.

"Yuri... deep within me I know I'll always love you and I'll continue on loving you. But at the same time you feel unhappy because I still have you in my mind. When I finally thought of what you said and truly meant I finally learned what you wanted me to do. I'm sorry about my sudden change of attitude, Yuri. It's just that... it was so difficult for me to accept that you're no longer here with me. I'm truly going to make an oath just to make you smile again and I'm going to start working on that oath today. This is why I have decided that today would be the last day I will be visiting you here."

Nagisa once more turned to Seira and whispered: "Nanami... dated... Yuri Suiyou... like... for real?"

"Shhh..." Seira hushed him silent again as they continued to listen.

Hippo gave a small smile towards the memorial and gazed towards the sky and then towards the view of the ocean. He sat down on the ground and faced the memorial stone and began his contemplation. After a few moments, Hippo stood up from the ground, removing all the dirt that clung on to his clothes. He then gave a humble smile towards the memorial.

"Goodbye, Yuri. I'll smile again... like you want me to. I'll love again... like you want me to. You'll see."

He slowly stepped away and then turned his back, heading right to the flat surface again. On his way down he heard loud crumbling noises coming somewhere at the bushes area. Hippo approached where the sound was coming from and as he got closer he heard voices mixed with the dried leaf crushing sounds with one voice telling the other to stay silent, while the other complained that Hippo was no longer visible to their view.

Hippo found the two culprits behind the bushes and stood behind them. As the two argue in whispers the blond boy smirked and crossed his arms. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything... you two being secret lovers and all."

At that spot Nagisa and Seira were startled at Hippo's remark and quickly turned around to see their target standing right behind them. "HIPPO!" Seira shrieked while Nagisa lowered his head in embarrassment.

Hippo snickered and leaned himself against the nearest tree. "Heh, I sure found a rather scandalous moment in here... and rumors even say that the two of you broke up already. I guess the power of summer love is way too overwhelming that you two couldn't keep yourselves off each other, hm?"

Nagisa gritted his teeth and stood up against him. "Listen, you! We're here because we followed you---" Seira quickly spanked Nagisa at the back of his head. "OW!"

"I'm so sorry, Hippo..." Seira sighed and approached closer to him. "We didn't mean to--- we just want to talk to you... but you looked like your mind was somewhere else so we decided to follow you... and catch up to you after you're done with... whatever you needed to do."

Hippo had a slight suspicion on the two former young couple and slightly shrugged his arms. "Oh well. You're here already. Let's just get this over with."

A few minutes later the three pre-teens found another hill nearby from Yuri's memorial cliff and are now sitting at the edge of the cliff overlooking the ocean. Hippo was well-equipped when he arrived there with his huge backpack. His camera equipment were not the only items in his backpack but he also packed a huge box with breakfast inside. He was a big eater despite of his tall and lanky build but he brought enough to share with Seira and Nagisa. He brought six mini-sized ham, egg, and cheese sandwiches in between two English muffins for his breakfast and those were enough for him to get full. Today was an exception though.

Once they settled in their small picnic spot Hippo began to speak. "What do you guys want?"

Seira was about to speak when Nagisa hushed her and insisted he would answer. "Look, Nanami. You and I... haven't been really getting along for awhile now and it's my fault. I'm kinda getting tired playing sarcasm games with you and we're being really immature."

Hippo rolled his eyes and gave a light smirk. "We're twelve-years-old, Shiroi, not eighteen. We're supposed to be immature."

"That's not what I meant! I mean I started this whole nasty rumors thing with you being a necro--- well whatever that word was—-"

"A necrophiliac, Shiroi?" Hippo interrupted, still with the same smirk on his face. "You can't even remember that awful term you used against me and that word's not even in seventh grade vocabulary too. I wasn't offended when you used that word at me but I was offended with your actions because you insulted Yuri's spirit."

"See, that's what I meant? I felt really bad about what happened and I wanted to apologize for all that. I've been wanting to for a long time but I had a feeling you're not going to listen to me anyway. I seriously had no idea that you and Yuri Suiyou were dating and what I did was really shameful. As you know Seira and I here used to date--- I guess around the same time you and Yuri Suiyou were dating... and Seira dumped me because she..." Just before he continued he noticed Seira staring at him with a vibe telling him not to tell Hippo of her feelings for him. "Oh well... I don't have any other good excuses for spreading rumors like that, Nanami. I guess you could say... I was jealous."

Hippo raised an eyebrow wondering what Nagisa meant by the latter statement. "Jealous?"

"I'm a selfish brat, Nanami," Nagisa continued with a sigh. "Before you transferred in our class I was the most popular kid in our class level. I was used to getting all these love letters from girls and chocolates for Valentine's Day and used to watch girls get in to fights after school just for my attention... I got it all in to my head. Even Seira here was head over heels for me..."

Seira sighed and nodded in agreement. "Yes... yes I was..."

"--- It lasted for about awhile until you came along, Nanami. You were... you were really quiet... and focused... and you weren't even aware that all of a sudden our class's cutest girls kept staring at you and laughing happily while your back was turned---"

"Funny you say that, Shiroi. I always thought everyone hated me since everyone kept on staring at me and snickering behind my backs. I'm not blind and deaf, you know."

Seira shook her head in disagreement. "They're all jealous of you--- the boys are jealous of you but the girls giggle because they all think you're cute and hot and all that... but you're like an untouchable you know? As in--- because you're so quiet and all that they're scared of coming up to you and you know... um... mingle."

Nagisa laid down on the picnic blanket, resting with his arms behind his head. "I changed ever since I started hanging out with the surf tribe. All the guys among the _cool kids _wanted to hang out with the surf tribe, especially with the Doumoto Twins. I mean those guys--- well the guys in the surf tribe--- to us _cool kids_, they're like gods. I was fortunate that they let me in. I've been wanting to get in to surfing for a long time but none of my old friends were even interested in learning how to surf so I've been trying to learn it on my own---"

Hippo's eyes widened in shock to hear the latter. "Are you insane, dude? You can't learn how to surf by yourself like that. That's like major suicide, man. But how'd you finally learn how to surf though?"

"I asked around for help or if anyone would have time to teach a kid like me on how to surf. No one even paid attention to me thinking that I'd just be a poser and didn't even give me a chance what my reasons were. Then one day during one of the tournament practices at the beach Kaito Doumoto came up to me and we just talked."

"Kaito Doumoto... came up to you?" Right at that point Hippo gained interest in learning more about his sister's surfer boy crush. "What'd he say?"

"I was scared at first because Kaito Doumoto is obviously the surf god at our grounds, but he turned out to be really cool. I told him what my problem was and he said he doesn't mind teaching me how to surf as long as I have my whole heart and soul in to it. But you know, I didn't learn how to surf from him alone. He also taught me a lot of things too--- about life, about certain rules surfers in general should always follow with no excuses, and of course, how to deal with people. We became close and all and then time came when he introduced me to the rest of the guys in the crew. His twin brother Gaito, the biker dude Masahiro Hamasaki who's got some mad skills at surfing too, those two dudes Daichi and Kengo who always hung out with Kaito--- I thought they were posers too but they were hardcore surfers too. And then we got our absent tribe member, Rihito Amagi. He was part of the tribe too but he's like the oldest of the crew and was going to college and interns and stuff with music so he barely had time to hang out with us anymore."

Hippo snickered, feeling overwhelmed. "Yeah, he's a surfer himself. But he's been doing volunteer work at Pearl Waters as our bass player at our Friday night band. He's moving in to Pearl Waters later today to join the staff though he didn't really have to."

"Uh huh..." Seira grinned happily at the thought of Rihito Amagi and lost herself in her daydream world. "I have never thought young guys who are in to classical music can be such hunks... I mean, his singing voice is just... to die for! Do you think he's going to sing again tonight so he can woo us hapless, lonely girls to our knees?"

"Hey, Seira, this ain't the time for daydreaming!" Nagisa nudged Seira back to reality while Hippo snickered at the same time. "We gotta talk about what we need to talk about---"

From out of the blue Seira gazed immediately towards Hippo, who still had the snicker on her face. Right then she changed her tone. "Hippo... I know I've said so many apologies about Yuri Suiyou and I can see how much you loved her... but when we heard you saying goodbye to her... are you sure you're going to be alright?"

Nagisa frowned with his arms crossed. "Seira, stop talking to him about Yuri Suiyou. It's kinda rude you know..."

Hippo, looking a lot more confident and cool as ever, stood up from his seat and stretched his arms. He placed his arms behind his head and turned to Seira. "I've done my crying. I can't be like this forever. Besides, Yuri reminded me in my dreams that I should be lucky that I'm still alive in this world. She said that fate was not ready to take me up yet and that there are many reasons why I'm still here and she's not. She reminded me that I was a stronger person when it comes to heartbreaks than she was. She also reminded that this world needs people like me so we can all survive together. Besides, Seira, you've asked me several times about Yuri already. Thank you for your concern."

He sat back down to his spot and faced both Seira and Nagisa and a small smile appeared on his face. "I have to move on with my life and start all over. I think today is the best day for me to move on. I told myself not to cry when Yuri broke up with me long time ago because if I did, it only hurts more."

At that moment Hippo was reminded of a song he wrote awhile ago after he lost Yuri to another love that was not meant to be. He no longer felt ashamed to even sing the song openly to two of the former _cool kids_ knowing that it was up to them if they understand his feelings or not.

_You asked me if I ever longed for her_

_Since we said goodbye_

_Sure I get sad but it's not too bad_

_It only hurts when I cry_

_You see I hardly even think of her_

_As time goes slowly by_

_I just go on like there's nothing wrong_

_It only hurts when I cry_

_Sure I remember our first kiss_

_The way I loved her then_

_Sometimes I think a love like this_

_Could never happen again_

_So please don't worry if I sigh for her_

_You'll know that I'll get by_

_I'll just pretend that it's not the end_

_It only hurts when I cry_

_It only hurts when I cry..._

"Hippo..." Seira murmured his name, unaware that tears appeared right on her eyes. Was it the song that got to her? Was it Hippo's tragic lost love story that touched her heart then? Whatever the reason was tears were about to fall.

_Sure I remember our first kiss_

_The way I loved her then_

_Sometimes I think a love like this_

_Could never happen again_

_So please don't worry if I sigh for her_

_You'll know that I'll get by_

_I'll just pretend that it's not the end_

_It only hurts when I cry_

Hippo took a deep breath and exhaled knowing that he finally felt free after singing the song. He also expected Nagisa would say something as an attempt to put him down but to a surprise there were no such remarks coming from Nagisa. In fact he remained silent and had a more serious look. From behind Seira could not help but let the tears fall and suddenly embraced Hippo from behind. "Hey---"

"Oh Hippo... I'm so sorry! You'll find another love one day! I know you'll do fine!"

Hippo looked rather perplexed at Seira's reaction and wanted to release himself from her grasp when Nagisa took him and Seira in to his arms from behind in the same fashion.

"I feel you, Nanami... Sure you may look kinda wimpy but damn... that song's just touching!"

Hippo raised an eyebrow with a slight frown on his face. "Okay, you two. Let go of me. You're killing me here..."

Both Nagisa and Seira quickly released him as the three began to clean up their breakfast picnic area. Once they were finished Hippo stood close to the edge with a pair of binoculars to check the ocean swells coming in at the beach strip where Pearl Waters was located.

"What are you doing here anyway, Nanami? I mean aside from saying goodbye to Yuri and all..." Nagisa asked in curiosity.

"Taking pictures of the raging ocean, what else?" Hippo answered and lowered his binoculars. "The sea has the biggest swells at late night and best time to catch them on daytime is very early morning like around this town. Looks like the swells' not big enough to be photographic-worthy right now. Besides, best spot to take pictures of the actual waves rolling in is right at the shore itself, and at that time I usually catch surfers riding these waves." He turned around and headed to solid land along with his backpack. "I'm heading back now. I don't know how you guys got here on foot, but as you can see I got no space on my bike, so... see ya all at the beach!"

Hippo pedaled his bike back with a wave towards the roads where Seira and Nagisa walked their way back, following Hippo from behind. The talk about the band will have to wait until they head back to the beach.

Once they reached at the front of Pearl Waters and Hippo parked his bicycle at the bike rack Nagisa spoke again. "So, we're cool, Nanami?"

Hippo was silent at first, staring at Nagisa. Then he turned his eyes towards Seira, who looked hopeful that things should be patched up between the two boys. He shrugged afterwards and answered.

"Yeah. We're cool."

Nagisa quickly stepped up in front of Hippo with a hopeful smile on his face. "So, okay, we need to hook up with the surf tribe and discuss what we seriously need from you!"

Hippo gave another smirk on his face and crossed his arms. "This is in regards to our Friday night band, is it, Shiroi?"

"You knew!"

"Of course I knew, heh. A certain family member informed me about it last night. We're the only band existing in the entire town of Nijibe who plays surf and beach tunes. Well we play other types of music too since Taro and Rihito are all music pros and all but yeah."

Seira joined Nagisa up front and gazed at him with a look as if she was begging. "I'm helping out too--- my sister Sara will be doing the tandem surfing with Gaito too and I'm helping the team assemble for the surf scenes tournament. And since we pretty much know every single neighborhood and know majority of the people here sadly this neighborhood strip is the only area we haven't really checked out... Our fault, actually. But yes--- we agree--- the Friday night band is the only band who does surf rock and surf pop! We have rivals entering this tournament and we want to get in there to show them that our surf culture is the best of all the rest! We're practically begging here!"

Hippo scratched his head slightly while still a little uncertain with this particular deal. "Well... hmm... well, regarding the band I'm not the one who makes decisions. You want to hook up with us? Tell your surfer crew to stop by Pearl Waters at around nine in the morning today. We'd still be closed but knock on the door and let the peeps here know that you're here to watch us rehearse."

Seira and Nagisa gazed at each other looking curious and both simultaneously answered: "We'll be there!"

"Glad to hear you two are eager!" Hippo grinned happily at the two. "In exchange for our invitation to let you peeps watch our rehearsals for tonight's performance here you better spread a little word of mouth to all the kids and other beach bums around town to come to Pearl Waters tonight and watch us. We could use a bit of profit and recognition, you know. Let them know that we're the band who's going to bring the Nijibe Surf Culture to victory in the First Annual Surf Scenes Tournament. Oh, and be sure the entire surf tribe and even the _waxboys _and the _Judiths _better be here tonight too."

Nagisa blinked in shock and retorted. "Nanami, dude, that's just a little too much, don't you think? All of that for tonight?"

"You're complaining, Shiroi?" Hippo raised an eyebrow with a slight frown towards the young surfer boy.

"Seriously, Nanami--- you want Seira and me to gather around everyone we see at the beach today to come over to Pearl Waters tonight? That would mean Seira and I have to face our former so-called friends--- the _cool kids _in our school--- and get them to come to Pearl Waters just to see you guys play? Not to mention those... posers too... whatever you just called them..."

Hippo leaned against the wall next to the door, smirking. "Do I look like I care about that, Shiroi? You and Seira are already considered _gods _by those _cool _kids like you said earlier today. And since you two hang out with the Rainbowside Surf Tribe now you won't have any problems convincing them. They'll listen to you word-for-word. And besides, since majority of the kids we know are a bunch of _waxboys _and _Judiths_ they'd do anything to hook up with all you _surf gods_. Get me?"

Nagisa tightened his fist in chagrin but later on sighed. Seira nodded quickly and answered. "We'll do it, Hippo! Seriously--- we'll do it!"

"Seira?" Nagisa shrugged his arms in disappointment towards the hopeful girl next to him. After a few moments he realized that there was no other way to talk to a kid named Hippo Nanami out of a deal well made. "Alright fine. I'll talk to the twins and the rest of the dudes about it. Maybe they'll help--- well they should since this is regarding our entry to the tournament."

"My point exactly," Hippo grinned and patted Nagisa on the shoulder. "Thanks for the deal, dude. I'm very sure the surf crew and us _weirdos _of Pearl Waters will get along very well." Right then he turned to the door and opened it with his keys. Before he entered the building he turned to the two once again.

"One more thing I have to mention to the two of you. Just to let you know that I don't believe with all these _cool kids _stuff. We're all the same, except certain people--- like the _cool kids_, for example--- are jealous because they know there's someone out there who's always going to be better than them."

Nagisa and Seira were left speechless as Hippo entered the building. "Later, dude and dudette. I gotta wake up my peeps here and get some stuff ready before we open. Ciao!" Hippo gave the two kids a victory sign with his fingers and closed the door behind them.

"Man..." Nagisa murmured with amazement in his mind. "He's good... he's _really _good... he really got us good, Seira."

Seira giggled and nudged Nagisa on the side. "Of course! That's why I'm in love with him, silly!" She winked at Nagisa and dashed her way across the beach.

"Hey! Wait up!" Nagisa followed Seira to the beach where they find the rest of the surf tribe along with Sara approaching their direction.

An hour passed and the entire Pearl Waters staff were up and awake and already munching on their breakfast. At that time Nicola Nanami gazed at her day planner with worry on her eyes. She gazed towards everyone who were just enjoying breakfast and interrupted their quiet moment. "Sorry to break your breakfast, everyone, but I'm just a little concerned about something."

The staff turned to each other with worry as Noel answered. "What's wrong, Boss?"

"I'm just worried that Pearl Waters may have another summer of low turnouts. I know yesterday's major huge swell that rolled in at the beach across from us really brought a lot of attention from all the surfers and beach bums but I'm afraid of what may happen later today. I'm really hopeful that we'll have a lot more successful business this summer but now I'm rather nervous of the turnout---"

Taro Mitsuki patted his cousin on the shoulder with confidence in his smile. "Chill, Cousin. Rihito and Hippo and Lucia and Rina and me got that covered."

Rina and Lucia were startled at what Taro had just said and turned to him. "We do?"

Taro nodded with a grin on his smile. "Rihito rang me up last night and from out of the blue he had a revelation--- sort of--- about our Friday night band. First up, he wrote up some quick compositions and songs that would surely get our surf bums pumped up, and second, he finally came up with our new band name!"

"A band name! Nice!" Hippo grinned as he exited the kitchen with his plate of breakfast sandwiches for the staff. "What is it?"

"OC-5!" Taro grinned with excitement. The new band name gave Lucia, Rina, and Hippo rather puzzled looks.

"Okay..." Rina answered though her expression remained bewildered. "What's it stand for?"

"The Oceanic Crib Five!" Taro answered, giving them a thumbs up. "Before you start thinking that the band name is lame, let me explain. We're a close-knit band who only performs here at Pearl Waters, so basically Pearl Waters is our crib and we play nowhere but our own crib. You know all of us in this town live the life by the ocean and the ocean always gave us inspiration to do anything. It's not just about being gods of the sea by surfing and taming the wild waves, but the ocean had given inspiration to mine and Rihito's compositions for our classical music performances. Our music and our beloved ocean are connected together and you know it. That doesn't just specify classical music but in Rihito's case he can hear fast-paced, pumped up tune in his head while he's out there at the sea making his ride!"

"Of course!" Lucia exclaimed with a nod. "Rihito's a surfer too! Didn't he used to hang out with the surf tribe or something before he left for college or something? I think OC-5 is a cool name for a band! People will easily remember the name!"

Taro nodded and continued on. "Thus, the _oceanic _part of the name _Oceanic Crib Five_--- or the _OC-5_ for short. And the _five_ is obvious--- there's five of us in the band."

Hanon cheered happily while clapping her hands at the same time. At this time her eyes were fixated towards her new crush Taro Mitsuki and knowing her daffiness with her crushes she would agree with everything Taro would say. "I love it, Taro! I looove the name! It spells _coolness _from just the short form all over!"

"Agreed!" Coco gave a thumbs up regarding the name. "At least it's not one of those cheesy names like _The Crewbies _or something."

"Love it! Love it!" Both Noel and Caren cheered along with their approval of the name.

"Well... it does have a cool ring to it..." Rina admitted while still contemplating. "Sure, why not? OC-5 it is."

"I approve!" Taki gave her vote of approval with the band name. "About time you kids have your own identity instead of the _Friday night band_."

Lucia turned to her brother who still did not decide whether he approved of the name or not. "Hippo? You're the only one who haven't said anything."

Hippo smiled with a slight shrug of his arms. "Sure. Why not? That way it'd be easy for those two surf bums to grab some people to come to Pearl Waters tonight, heh."

"What was that, Hippo?" Lucia asked curiously regarding the statement he just made.

"Nothing. None of your business." Hippo slightly turned his head away, refusing to say any more to his sister.

Nicola nodded in agreement with everyone but her feelings still had not changed. "Taro, how is the new band name going to get us customers? If we get another low turnout this summer we'll be in big trouble financially."

Taro gave a wink. "As your assistant manager of Pearl Waters, Cousin, I'm about to get to that part. Again, Rihito's idea. He should be here soon. He'll be able to---" Just as he was about to complete his statement everyone heard knocking on the door. "Well, that must be him now."

"I got it!" Hanon dashed towards the locked door. Once she opened the door she found her eyes fixated yet towards another tall, dark-haired, and handsome boy slightly a little older than her. "H-hi... we're closed..."

The dashing and mature-looking Rihito chuckled softly at the reaction of this rather unfamiliar girl at the door. "I know it's closed. I'm Rihito Amagi--- bass player of the band?"

Hanon gasped and returned to reality. "Oh! H-hi! Um... come on in!" She opened the door wide for the smooth-looking Rihito along with his bass guitar case and a surfboard on the other arm. Just the sight of Rihito reminded her of Kaito a little bit, but just by the surfboard she already knew that he was indeed a surfer. On top of that, she was beginning to remember where she had seen this particular boy before.

"Wait--- don't tell me! Rihito Amagi--- aren't you part of the Rainbowside Surf Tribe too? I thought I've seen you hang out with the Doumoto Twins and their crew one time..."

Rihito gave a small wink at Hanon and smiled. "You got me. Part-time though. I've spent more time on my college studies than hanging ten lately but I keep in touch. Glad you recognized me though."

"Oh..." Hanon found herself blushing like a tomato and quickly covered her face. _Man... first there's Lucia's cousin Taro Mitsuki... and this part-timer surf tribe dude who happens to be a member of the OC-5 band... Oh Lucia, you have no idea how much I'm loving my part-time job at Pearl Waters now..._

The rest of the staff spotted Rihito and greeted their final staff member. "Hey, you made it, Rihito! We were just discussing about _OC-5_!" Nicola said with a happy smile on her face.

Rihito gave an embrace and a pat to his boss. "I'm here and ready for work, Boss--- even if I'm doing it for free."

"We were just talking about you, Rihito. Please join in our breakfast discussion." Nicola invited Rihito to take the empty seat between Taro and Lucia. Hanon headed back to her seat with her eyes stuck towards both Taro and Rihito at the same time.

"Sorry I'm late, guys," Rihito apologized briefly as he took his seat. "I had to help Michal pack up her stuff. For the first time this summer she wants to spend her private tutoring at the beach instead of at home. Kinda strange if you ask me."

Lucia stared at Rihito with a puzzled look. "Michal--- your younger sister, right?"

"Hm, I don't think I've met her before..." Rina said, thinking about this particular girl known as Rihito's younger sister.

"That's because none of you have met her before... not personally anyway." Rihito chuckled and continued. "She's always at home for her private tutoring with some of the best professional tutors in the country. This year she wanted to get to know more of the town itself by spending time at the beach. She's staying at Rainbow Shores Hotel, just two blocks from here. I insisted she'd just stay home to save money but Michal can be stubborn sometimes."

"So, you're going to introduce us to Michal, finally?" Lucia asked with enthusiasm on her face, palms together.

"I'd love to but she didn't want to come here to Pearl Waters." Rihito shrugged his arms. "I have a feeling she's got other priorities with her idea of studying at the beach instead of at home."

"Besides, you don't want to meet Michal Amagi, Lucia." From behind Caren gave a warning to the young blonde. "If you do there's going to be a mess."

Rina raised an eyebrow towards Caren. "Mess? What mess? What's wrong with Rihito's sister?"

Caren gasped in shock realizing that she just opened her big mouth regarding something that Lucia and the others should not know. Quickly she covered her mouth and said "Um, ignore what I said! I was thinking about something else!"

"Hm..."

Nicola cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. "Okay, let's get back on subject, please. So Rihito, Taro's been telling us about this great idea of yours. Is this some kind of an advertising method that we can do to get more customers to Pearl Waters?"

Rihito nodded quickly. "Bingo! Check this out, Boss. Today is our rehearsals for tonight's performance here, right? There's this huge buzz around town about this surf scenes tournament thing and that the surf tribe is desperate for a surf band who's going to represent their surf scenes team. See, I got this vision. Since we already got our new band name of _OC-5_, here's our chance to take advantage. Instead of rehearsing in here we rehearse outside the beach."

Lucia gasped in shock with her hands on her mouth. "... Outside? Rihito, you're kidding, right?"

"Nope. We're going to rehearse outside... as in the beach... with a small stage and all that. We already have a small portable stage that we can set up at the supply room here because I happened to find it last year and actually cleaned it myself. We can set that up, set our instruments there, and we'll be good to go!"

_Oh no... Kaito will see me... looking all weird and messed up on rehearsals... _Lucia sighed deeply and lowered her head.

"Hey I like that idea, Rihito!" Rina exclaimed with a smile. "Let's do that! In that way we can attract a lot of people to us and they'll watch us rehearse and if they find us a really good band they'll definitely come over to Pearl Waters tonight to see us perform."

"And that, my friends," Rihito continued, "is how we're going to get a lot of customers for Pearl Waters this summer. We use our music and our presence to lure customers here. It would be like..."

"If you like OC-5 and want to check more of us out, come to Pearl Waters tonight at seven sharp." Hippo added from where Rihito left off. "I think this would be more convenient. Now everyone would be able to see us rehearse and perform without knocking on the closed door of Pearl Waters. I like the idea, Rihito!"

The others agreed to Rihito's idea and waited for Nicola to officially approve the advertising idea. She thought deeply first then moments later gave her answer. "Hm, I don't see anything wrong with this approach, Rihito. Sure, why not?"

The staff cheered happily while Lucia remained silent with worry on her face. Hanon noticed her reaction and nudged her on the side. "What's wrong with you, Lucia?"

Lucia lifted her head slowly and turned to Hanon. "Kaito and those surfer dudes will be there..."

"Well duh!" Hanon giggled and winked. "Here's your chance to use your musical charm to lure the man of your dreams to you!"

"I... it's just that... well I mean... what if he finds me all weird and unlikable again when we mess up in our rehearsals, Hanon?"

Hanon shook her head with a smirk on her face. "Why do you worry about these very small and simple things, Lucia? This is Kaito Doumoto we're talking about here! You kept telling me that your pure unconditional love was the reason why you got so good at singing and making up songs in your head! But since that hottie Rihito wrote some songs for the band tonight you shouldn't be nervous..."

Lucia placed her hands on her hair and then right on her cotton blouse and her pair of shorts at the bottom. "I'm... I'm not gonna wear a bikini!" Quickly she turned to Taro and Rihito and asked desperately. "You're not gonna make me and Rina wear a bikini, are you?"

Taro raised an eyebrow towards Lucia. "That's your decision, Lucia. None of us are forcing you to make yourselves look like someone you're not comfortable with. If you want to wear a bikini, that's up to you. Why do you look so worried?"

"Well it's just... it's just that... I don't want any pervert guys look at me... like that..." Lucia sighed deeply and looked down in embarrassment.

"Get with it, Lucia!" Hanon exclaimed with a disappointed look on her face. "That's the reason why us girls wear bikinis at the beach--- to have guys look at you! I'm telling you this, Lucia--- Kaito is in love with girls who wear bikinis! He would not look at a girl who is fully clothed at the beach here!"

"Oh get with it, Hanon," Rina stepped in between with a frown on her face. "I'd rather kill myself than wear a stupid bikini. What's wrong with just a plain shirt and shorts? We'd still look like surf bums with just a t-shirt and shorts!"

Rihito raised an eyebrow right when he heard Hanon mentioning Kaito's name. "Kaito--- are you talking about Kaito Doumoto?"

Hanon turned to Rihito and answered: "Well of course! I'm not talking about his twin, you know. I mean Lucia's crazy about him for the longest time and she's never even made a single move on him---"

"Hanon, don't tell everybody!" Lucia shrieked and was about to strangle Hanon when Rihito gave his reaction.

"Wow, Lucia... I didn't know you've got a thing for Kaito Doumoto too!" Rihito chuckled with his arms crossed. "Then again that doesn't surprise me anymore..."

Lucia sighed in embarrassment. "Rihito, please don't make fun of me... I have my own reasons why I'm in love with Kaito Doumoto--- and they're very good reasons too! Though even if that was the case I don't think he'll ever notice I'm alive..."

Rihito cleared his throat and continued on. "Well, since I am close to the surf tribe myself I have to agree with your friend Hanon here. Yes, Kaito likes girls in bikinis, but that doesn't mean he'd be interested in getting to know them. I even told Michal about that but she didn't want to listen. Lucia, as your friend and fellow band member and employee of Pearl Waters who happens to be a part-time surfer of the Rainbowside Surf Tribe, don't ever change yourself just to get someone's attention. You've got a lot of qualities that would make guys go crazy for you. And since I know you got those special qualities you can use them to bring something new to Kaito's table. It takes time but I can guarantee you he will notice you."

Coco raised an eyebrow and turned to Rihito. "Hey... why are you helping Lucia out with her chances with Kaito? What about your sister?"

Rihito shrugged his arms. "She's a year younger than Kaito and she's a little obsessive with him. In fact I bet seeing Kaito was the only reason why she decided to do private tutoring at the beach instead of at home. If she weren't so desperate and annoying about her infatuation with Kaito then I would've helped her. Sadly she just wouldn't have it."

_Michal Amagi... likes Kaito too? Of course that wouldn't be a surprise. Hippo was right after all--- me and ten thousand-ish other girls of Nijibe are all in love with Kaito. What am I getting myself in to? Why can't I find another guy that would get my eyes away from Kaito so I don't have to deal with all this? And now Michal is making moves on him too while she does her tutoring stuff... I can't compete with Michal--- she's rich and pretty and smart and really nice too--- I mean the pictures Rihito showed us once in awhile shows it too. I'm pretty sure Kaito would be better off being with someone like her..._ Lucia sighed once more and buried her face under her arms face flat towards the table.

"Okay, okay, enough," Nicola interrupted. "Let's get to work, everyone. Lucia, Rina, you don't have to wear a bikini just to rehearse. Alright?" Lucia looked up and nodded along with Rina's agreement. "Let's do our band ads at the beach today, everyone!"

Rina turned to Taro and Rihito and provided a short question. "So, when are we rehearsing?"

"The earlier, the better," Taro answered with a thumbs up. "You and Lucia get ready while Rihito, Hippo, and myself get all our equipment ready. I checked our instruments to be sure they're in good shape earlier so don't worry about your instruments."

"Will do, thanks!" Lucia waved at the rest of the band as she and Rina head upstairs to get dressed. The rest of the staff also did the same by heading upstairs to their rooms and get themselves ready for a nice day at the beach.

Right at that moment another door knock was heard from the entrance door. Nicola happened to be near it and answered the door. "Ah, Maki! Welcome welcome!"

The restaurant's cook and interim manager of the restaurant arrived with an enthusiastic face. "Nicola, sorry I'm late. My brother and I were at the beach earlier just having a scoop on how the waves of our beach is gonna be like today. Looks like we're going to have a wilder one today than yesterday---"

Nicola chuckled and placed her arm around Maki. "Oh Mr. Maki, you always bring joy to this place with that excited smile of yours! Unfortunately if you want to talk surfing, that's my little brother's department." She turned to the back of the kitchen where the supply room was located and called for Hippo. "Hippo! Maki's here and he's got news for you!"

Hippo was packing the drums in their cases in the supply room when he heard Nicola calling for him. He turned to Rihito and Taro and said "Hold on a sec, Nicola's calling." He exited the supply room and arrived at the dining area and met Maki. "Yo, what's up?"

"You better carry a portable radio with you, kid. Surf forecasts..." Maki said. He removed a headphone from his ear and let Hippo take a listen to it.

Hippo's eyes widened with enthusiasm as he listened to the latest weather news as well as the local surf watch news. Quickly he turned to his watch to check the time and immediately dashed near the entrance where he dropped his backpack. He reached for his pair of binoculars and exited. He looked through his binoculars and focused right towards the ocean.

"No way..." Hippo murmured as he continued to observe the ocean's movement. "Rapid combo-swells in every..." He lowered his binoculars and looked at his watch, counting the seconds via the second hand. He looked out again while he placed his watch at the binocular lens to count the seconds. "That's never happened before... rapid combo-swells in every fifteen seconds?" He looked up the sky to see the sun slowly rising from the horizon. "And it's sunny too..."

He lowered his binoculars and dashed to the kitchen to call Taro and Rihito: "HEY! DUDES! WE GOTTA HURRY! WE GOTTA TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE SCENE FOR REHEARSALS!"

Taro and Rihito were about to finish packing the instruments when they heard Hippo's desperate call. "What's the matter, Hippo?" Taro asked curiously.

"We got major signs of possible thirty feet-ish breakers rolling in later! We got combo-swells every fifteen seconds right now and the waves are barely ebbing away because they kept rolling in and rolling in and rolling in. Those major swells are gonna be building up really fast!"

Rihito exited with cases of instruments on his hands with eyes as if they were hypnotized. "Thirty... feet..."

Moments later Coco, Caren, and Noel dashed downstairs in their sultry beach outfits from a bikini top to boyshorts along with their short boards in their arms also looking stoked. "THIRTY FEET WAVES!!"

Coco waved towards Nicola with a wink on her face: "We'll be back later, Boss. We got monster waves to catch!"

"Yeah!" Caren and Noel cheered happily with thumbs up.

Nicola chuckled and shook her head. "Alright, ladies. Hurry back now and take care!"

"Thanks!" Quickly the three surfer girls dash their way out of the beach to capture the waves they want to ride.

A few moments later the (soon to be formerly known as) Rainbow Surf Tribe arrived at the beach area not too far from the spot where Pearl Waters was nearby. Like any other surfer they took a quick shower first and leave themselves wet before they can take on the ocean so in that way their bodies would not immediately freeze or burn once they get to the ocean's temperature. The warmth of the sun blazed like fire enough for any beach enthusiast to bare anything as much as they can to keep themselves cool. The boys of surf arrived not with their wetsuits (though there was always that option) but appeared to show up in appropriate print boardshorts, strap sandals, and open light sweatshirts revealing their perfectly-shaped bodies enough for any girl to faint over at first sight. Surprisingly at a young age, even Nagisa possessed such a body underneath the boyish, fresh look.

Apparently Rihito's hopeful younger sister Michal was able to spot Kaito from afar once she landed at the beach along with her private tutor. She wore a rather cute pink calico-printed bikini with a light pink cotton sweatshirt over it. She wanted to have a more revealing fashion as much as she can to get Kaito's attention but older brother Rihito forbade her to do so at first sight. She invited herself within the surf tribe and placed her arms around Kaito as if they had a special relationship, not only to make herself look good in front of the others but to also make other girls competing for Kaito's heart jealous.

"I missed you so much, Kaito..." Michal cuddled herself against his arm while Kaito looked perplexed towards the younger sister of a follow surf tribe member. "You have no idea how lonely it was at boarding school down South... away from home... away from the beaches... away from you..."

Kaito chuckled nervously while the rest of the crew stared at them curiously. "Um... nice to know you think of me, Michal. So, how's your brother?"

Michal frowned and sighed hoping he would say something more about her instead of wondering about her older brother Rihito. "I give you a tender confession and you ask me about my brother?"

"Well, he is one of us part-time, Michal," Kaito grinned and turned his head forward to their path. "One of the major rules about being a surfer who's part of a surf crew--- think about your other fellow surf crew surfers first before you engage in to something else unrelated."

Michal frowned and sighed once again. "Fine, fine. Well, Rihito's at Pearl Waters right now. They were going to rehearse for tonight's showing over there. Honestly I don't understand him. Why hang out with them when he already has you guys...?"

"He is, first and foremost, a musician, Michal." From behind Gaito answered, joining in the conversation, while Sara looked onward. "It's not like he bailed out on us or anything. He still is pretty much a part of us even if he was doing it part-time. Heck, one of these days in the future we'd be like him too. It's not like we're going to be surfing and live the beach life for the rest of our lives, right?"

Kaito nodded in agreement with his twin brothers. "Yup. Even the best of the best surfers in the whole world will have to learn and determine when they have to stop and move on in to something else. It's a part of life, you know? See Nagisa Shiroi over there with Seira, just right behind us? For all we know he'll be our next surfing champion and take leadership of this crew with brand-new surfers as well as current ones. Pretty soon when you get older you'll probably get tired of the beach life and want to move on in to something else---"

Michal suddenly threw her arms around him and held him tight to her. "No! I would never ever get tired of the beach life or you, Kaito! You'll always be my surfing champion in my heart no matter how long you live!"

"Uh, Michal... that's nice of you but could you let me go? You're choking me to death..."

Michal sighed sadly hoping that he would feel enticed by her simple gestures along with the calico pink bikini she had on. "Kaito, you're so mean. I mean you'd date other girls at first sight but you won't even look at me the same way... I mean there's even other girls younger than me who look older than they look too."

While the rest of the surf tribe were witnessing this brief moment Seira whispered to Nagisa's ear. "So that's Michal Amagi... Rihito's sister. She looks so nice... and innocent... and fragile..."

Nagisa rolled his eyes and whispered in return. "With that bikini on and the way she tried to make passes at Kaito I don't call that nice, innocent, and fragile."

"Hm, good point."

As they continued to stroll at the sand Michal continued on with her flirtatious ways with the town's surfing prince. "So, what are your plans today?"

Kaito raised an eyebrow at Michal with a rather perplexed expression. "Uh... surfing... and... hang out at the beach with the dudes... and... well... surfing..."

"You're such a surf bum, Kaito!" Michal giggled in amusement and continued. "Have you thought of getting out of the beach for awhile and... you know... explore the rest of the town? Like the Nijibe Summer Festival and all that!"

"Can't. I'm training for the upcoming tournament with the dudes here. We can't afford to _get out _of the beach, even for awhile."

Michal moaned in disappointment and continued on with her verbal advances. "Aww... You see, an old friend of mine who lives here in Nijibe is holding a special birthday party in like two weeks but it's going to be formal attire and that no one is allowed to come unless if they have a date, so I'm thinking..."

Kaito stopped strolling and turned his head towards Michal. He released his arm from her grasp and patted Michal on the head. "Oh, why didn't you say so? I know tons of hot dudes who'd love to go with you, so when I have time I'll introduce you around and you get to pick your own date!"

"But Kaito, I don't want to get hooked up with other _hot dudes_ that you know. I want you to be my date!" Michal tightened her fists as if she was ready to bend and beg. "Why won't you take me seriously?"

Kaito sighed with a small smirk on his face. "I'd love to, Michal, but my planner's really occupied for the summer and my entire week on that week you mentioned is all booked." He turned and continued strolling down the path to their destination. "So many girls... so little time..."

"Kaito!" Michal called out for him as Gaito and Sara passed by her with Gaito patting her on the shoulder. "Gaito, why is your twin so mean?"

"Can't help it, Michal," Gaito answered with a grin on his face. "He's busy, completely booked. We got a competition to train for in two months and we can't afford to waste any time. And when his entire summer's booked there's nothing stopping him."

"Can't you talk him out of his habits, Gaito?" Michal asked curiously looking more desperate than ever.

Gaito shook his head while Sara covered her mouth to prevent herself from chuckling. "I can't. You see, while I'm faithful to my girl here I have the same habits as Kaito."

"Gaito..." Just as the conversation was about to continue Gaito and Sara were distracted by the excited voices of Kengo and Daichi who shouted out a particular code.

"Gaito! Hamasaki! Shiroi! 36-22-36 alert!" Kengo called out for them as he and Daichi ran ahead of them.

"No way! I'm so there, man!" Masahiro grinned and ran after Kengo and Daichi.

Seira gazed at the boys rushing to their destination ahead of them and turned to Nagisa. "What's _36-22-36 alert_ mean?"

Nagisa lowered his head and answered. "No comment."

"Well what is it, Nagisa? I'm curious!"

"You don't want to know, Seira. Trust me." Nagisa walked on ahead from her as Seira chased him from behind.

"Hey Nagisa--- wait up!"

As the rest of the surf tribe ran ahead of Gaito, Sara and Michal, Sara nudged her boyfriend on the side with a smile on her face. "Now I'm curious what they're so excited about. I don't see any huge swells coming in..."

"_36-22-36_," Gaito said with a smirk on his face. "It's the second thing that average surfers love aside from surfing."

Sara gave a short thought of it and from out of the blue spanked Gaito at the back of his shoulder and walked on ahead. "PIG!"

Gaito gave a confused look at his girlfriend walking away. "Sara? I wasn't the one getting excited with that--- come on!" He ran after Sara, leaving Michal looking confused.

"Wait--- where are you guys going--- don't leave me here!" Michal ran, following Gaito from behind.

Just as the rest of the surf tribe ran to where their target destination was Kaito gazed at his friends passing by him wondering what the excitement was about. "What the hell..."

As Kaito continued to follow them he stopped himself right when his eyes caught the target. At the distance he spotted three somewhat unfamiliar girls with their surfboards all waxed and ready to go. He dashed quickly at a short distance to have a closer look and observe these girls finding their own spot. The rest of the boys found their spot not too far from where those three mysterious girls with surfboards stood their boards through the sand. Just as he was following his friends at their newly-established spot Sara caught up with him from behind.

"Sara..." Kaito called for his twin brother's girlfriend approaching him. "You ditched my brother for me?"

Sara spanked Kaito's shoulder from his back while Kaito snickered at the same time. "Shut up, Kaito! I can't believe you're still using that stupid _26-32-26 _code... so sexist!"

"You mean _36-22-36_, Sara? I wasn't the one who yelled that out. Jeez, get a grip, girl!"

Sara crossed her arms and glared at the younger twin. Moments later she changed the subject. "Anyway, I just wanted to introduce you to some of my friends, that's all."

"Your friends?"

"You're lookin' at them right now... they're pretty hot and sexy, huh?" Sara winked at Kaito referring to the three girls with surfboards who ran out to their spot just moments later.

"You mean those three girls with the boards? Well okay... they are kinda hot and sexy but they're your friends?"

Sara walked ahead from Kaito backwards with her arms behind her, grinning. "You're going to need those girls for your tournament entry, Kaito. Be nice..."

Kaito chuckled knowing that his brother's girlfriend was trying to tease him a little. "If they're nice to me sure, I'll be nice in return. I'm only being fair, of course."

Gaito and Michal caught up with them and quickly Michal grabbed Kaito from behind, cuddling herself against his back. "Found you, Kaito!"

Kaito sighed deeply and lowered his head while Gaito placed his arm around Sara. "Sara, you know I'm not like that... why would I check out other girls when I can always check you out any day?"

"Idiot," Sara rolled her eyes at Gaito and changed the subject moments later. "Look, my friend Coco and the twin sisters Noel and Caren are over there. You dudes want to win this tournament? Time for you to hook up with them. You got no choice around Nijibe anyway except for those three."

"Lead the way, Sara," Gaito said with a nod. "You're friends with them. You initiate the meeting."

"I will," Sara chuckled and walked ahead.

Gaito turned to Kaito and Michal. "Hurry up, you two. We've got potential surfer girls to catch!" He waved at them and ran after Sara from behind.

Kaito knew he had to set himself free from Michal's grasps quickly. Just as things were getting awkward between him and Michal he heard a familiar singing voice closing in on his direction. Right then he smiled after hearing the singing voice.

_We've got an early start_

_We're gonna have a ball_

_We're gonna ride the surf_

_Yeah, and that ain't all_

Just before the singing voice get closer to him he gazed at Michal, still with the smile on his face. "Hey, Michal. Do me a favor, will you?" Right at the moment he hands his shortboard to her. "Can you carry my board to where the dudes are? I need to see someone important."

Michal quickly took the board from Kaito looking confused. "Where are you going? Who are you meeting?"

Kaito felt rather annoyed at Michal's curious questions and then answered. "Your brother, who else? Do you want to come and join our little surf chat?"

"Oh..." Michal frowned and slowly walked away with her eyes still at Kaito. "Okay then! Come back soon!" She waved at Kaito and ran to their spot where the rest of the tribe sat and Sara and Gaito already making connections with Coco, Noel, and Caren regarding the tournament.

As for Kaito he found a rock where he sat on the smooth top and waited until that singing voice arrived at his direction.

_Nothing is greater than the sand, surf, and sun there_

_Racking up my boards just as soon as we get there_

_Stack 'em in the sand where they're breakin' just right_

_We'll be surfin' all day and then swingin' all night_

_Vacation is here... beach party tonight!_

Just as the verse of the song finished Lucia appeared right on sight. Kaito's detection skills served him well. He hoped that the cheerful singing voice turned out to be Lucia Nanami. He remained still on his spot with his arms crossed.

Lucia came down to the sands with two instrument cases on both her hands. Behind Lucia were Rina, Taro, Rihito, and Hippo were also carrying their musical equipment while Hiromu Maki, the cook of Pearl Waters, aided them by carrying their portable stage. Just as Lucia found the spot she placed the cases down. She continued on singing happily.

_We're checking our boards_

_While looking all cool_

_Now we're waxing our boards_

_'Cause you know we ru---_

"EEK!" Lucia shrieked in embarrassment right when she turned her head and startled to find Kaito sitting on top of flat rock boulders watching her along with that grin on his face. "K-Kaito!"

"Good morning, Lucia," Kaito greeted the fully-clothed young girl, still with that charming smile of his. "Aww... keep singing!"

"Well... I uh..." Lucia felt like she was put on spot but luckily for her Kaito was the only one present. "That was embarrassing..."

Kaito stood up from his boulder and jumped to the ground. He walked closer towards Lucia until they were only a twelve inches apart to each other. Lucia, only wearing a pink and red t-shirt, a pair of red shorts, and white beach sandals, stood still facing her longtime crush but also felt as of her feet became stuck and frozen.

"So... Kaito... you're... very... um... early... today..." Lucia spoke nervously.

"So are you," Kaito answered. Right at the moment somehow he felt a lot of ease and excitement mixed together inside of him. He did not hesitate to wonder why he felt so happy and refreshed to see Lucia all of a sudden when he was not used to having all these eager feelings within him regarding girls in general. "I miss you, Lucia..."

Lucia gulped nervously and giggled softly. "But we only met yesterday, Kaito... that is... we spoke... yesterday... about the tournament and all that. You can't... possibly... miss me... unless if you meant you hoped to have more information about what you wanted me to gather for you which was why you felt like you're missing me... heh... heh... heh..." Right then Lucia sighed deeply knowing she was really messing up her appearance in front of Kaito.

"Well... yeah, that too." Kaito shook his head finding himself acting a little strange. He was always the cool and calm type whenever he spoke to a girl he was interested in but this was not the case with Lucia. "Um... what did you find?"

"Well..." Lucia pointed her finger towards Coco and the Lake Twins still in conversation with Sara and Gaito. "Those are Pearl Waters waitresses--- Coco Pacifica and the Lake Twins, Noel and Caren--- they're surfer girls from the closet. I mean they surf a lot but no one has seen them surf, so they're here now because they want to surf at these conditions, you know? I heard that there will be swells about thirty feet later today so we decided to um... take advantage of today... see, we'll be rehearsing here instead of inside closed doors of Pearl Waters. You know... provide a little... daytime show..."

"Then you'll be singing then, Lucia?" Kaito asked in hope and anticipation.

"Well... um... occasionally... Rihito will be doing most of the singing since he's our lead singer and all... but um... we take requests!"

Kaito stepped a few inches closer and Lucia's heartbeat began to beat faster and her face turning completely red. "Well... I request for you to sing during your rehearsals. I don't care what song you sing as long as you sing..."

"Well I... um... excuse me..." Lucia chuckled nervously and turned herself away from Kaito. She placed her hands on her face and began to have a conference with her own mind.

_Kaito... wants me to sing? What have I gotten in to? I mean I'm excited to be rehearsing with the band as OC-5 but Kaito wants me to sing during rehearsals? I wonder what Rihito and Taro would say about it? I mean, I don't do much singing with the band and all... but still... this is Kaito we're talking about... and I think he really likes my singing that he misses me for it._

After her moment of self-conference she turned back to Kaito with her nervous grin. "Um... I'll see what I can do to fulfill your request, Kaito. It should be something hardcore so the music can really help you get stoked when you paddle out and stake your wave, you know?"

Kaito chuckled, feeling rather proud of himself and at the same time excited. "How about you sing something to me... like you know... how to say this..."

"Sing something to you...?" _Dangit Lucia... you've got so many songs to sing to him--- mostly declaration of love for him--- but what if he stops talking to you if you end up singing one of those love songs to him?_ "Um... like... what type? Like how awesome and rippin' you are out in the waves or something?"

"Just kidding!" Kaito snickered while Lucia sighed out in relief. "You know I wouldn't ask something like that of you. Your boyfriend may probably get jealous if you do---"

"Ah!" Lucia shrieked and gritted her teeth. "I don't have a boyfriend, Kaito! What makes you think that I have one? I'm not very good dealing with guys like that... heh... heh... heh..."

Kaito seemed to be enjoying himself talking to the rather daffy Lucia and rested himself against the rocks with his arms crossed. "For some reason I don't believe you."

"What...? What do you mean?"

"You're talking to me, aren't you?" Kaito winked, still grinning at the same time.

"Well, actually I do like someone but... but I think he's forgotten about me..." Lucia sighed deeply, trying not to reveal too much of her feelings for him at that time. Not yet, anyway. "So... um... I've been reserving my heart for him... then again no one's really... um... flirted with me before..."

Kaito approached Lucia once more with only about six inches apart from each other and his eyes met her nervous-looking eyes right then. Lucia found her eyes completely fixated with his while her legs were melting with the warmth and tenderness his gaze had given her.

"Maybe I'm the only one who has perfect eyesight," Kaito began in a soft voice. "Why wouldn't guys want to flirt with you when your eyes sparkle like a bottle of Coke..."

Lucia looked a lot more perplexed than ever. "Bottle of Coke...?"

Kaito gently lifted Lucia's face by the chin as he slowly lowered to her. "When I look at your eyes I feel that my thirst was completely quenched, not to mention your eyes look refreshing, sweet, and... rejuvenating..."

"... Rejuvenating...?" Lucia could not take the little scene any longer and covered her eyes immediately. "You're making fun of me..."

Just as Kaito was about to continue he heard his twin brother's voice calling to him in annoyance. "KAITO! GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE AND STOP FOOLING AROUND! WE GOT BUSINESS TO TAKE CARE OF!"

"Ugh..." Kaito sighed deeply and shook his head. He released Lucia's chin and backed away. "I gotta go... Lucia... sorry to cut this short."

Lucia felt her heart beating rapidly and placed her hand on to her chest to calm herself down while breathing heavily. "Um... well... we all have business to take care of, Kaito... heh... heh... well, um I'll see you around then!"

"See you later, Lucia." He winked at her once again and left the scene. As he walked away Lucia sat down next to the instrument cases and hid her face within her arms.

_Kaito's making fun of me... I know he doesn't mean all that... I mean he always flirts with girls anyway... of course he doesn't mean that... my eyes sparkle like a bottle of Coke? Who on earth comes up with dumb statements like that? Although I gotta admit... he was really cute and adorable saying it... oh Lucia, what on earth is wrong with you? Why can't you face him like a real man, I mean, girl? I mean if he's really like that on girls then it's quite possible that he's not the boy you rescued those years ago... this is bad, Lucia... this is really bad. I bet Kaito would be talking to his dudes about me behind my back and would laugh and snicker at me in hiding. What am I gonna do? How am I gonna face him the next time we meet?_

Moments later the rest of the band arrived with Taro patting Lucia on the shoulder. "Are you okay, Lucia?"

Lucia lifted her head quickly and spotted Taro next to her. "Oh... yeah... I was hyperventilating, that's all..."

"Hyperventilating? About what?" Rihito asked curiously while standing on her other side.

"Nothing! I mean.. I was hyperventilating about... um... all the girls I saw so far at the beach are all bikini-clad... that's all..."

Hippo took Lucia's arm and helped her stand up. "Come on, Lucia, let's set up already. Maybe our rehearsal would make you feel better."

"Thanks, Hippo." As the males left to begin assembling their mini-stage Rina approahced to her.

"Let me guess. Kaito came up to you and you guys talked, right?"

Lucia nodded her head slowly. "Yeah... he was... he was waiting for me... sorta..."

"Did he say some cheesy pick-up line about your eyes, Lucia?"

"You knew..." Lucia sighed in embarrassment and dropped her head down right then. "He said my eyes reminded him of a bottle of Coke..."

"Figures."

Rina patted her on the shoulder as the two went to where the males are and aided them in fixing the mini-stage.

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_

_Some notes below..._

_#1 – I've taken some time to do more research through the net (and through my surfer cousins) regarding surf terminology and surfer lingo. Take a look at the following..._

_**Kook – **__a poser; non-surfer who acts and dresses up like a surfer who tries to sneak his way in to a prominent surfer crowd at a particular local beach. Most people just say "poser", but for the hardcore inner terms, __**Kook**__ was primarily used._

**_Waxman –_**_ Another term for a _**_kook_**_._

**_Judith_**_ – a female version of a _**_kook_**_; mostly pretending to be a surfer girl in order to get guys._

_All of the terms above are nuisances to real surfers and surfing enthusiasts and often try to avoid them as much as they can. There's probably a lot more surfer lingo that have similar meanings to the ones above but I try not to use too much of them as I can just to establish the surf culture of Nijibe in this fanfic. I only inserted these just for slight authenticity._

_#2 – _**_36-22-36_**_ – a guy's code/call for a hot and sexy girl. It stands for _**_36 in. bust, 22 in. waist, 36 in. hips_**_. You know... a "perfect" girl's body. The code is a little sexist because women who don't have the 36-22-36 sizes feel offended and that guys in general only care about their "perfect size" instead of who they are as individuals inside. Why do you think most women always ask their husbands or boyfriends if they look fat or not? It's all because of these number code, folks!_

_#3 – On the part where Kaito explains to Michal about surfers in a surf crew always prioritize their fellow surfer, this is also a general rule with all surfers in general in real life. When a surfer talks to a relative or a significant other of a fellow surfer he would ask/mention about his fellow surfer related to that person before they talk to them individually._

_More to come, obviously! Please keep the reviews coming! I really appreciate it! ^_^_

**_RATED T_**_ for the VERY mild language AND slight adult situations._

_**Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch** is © 2003 Pink Hanamori and Michiko Yokote. All songs used are © respected songwriters/owners. No copyright infringement intended._


	6. Oceanic Crib 5

**RIDE THE WILD SURF  
a Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch Fanfiction**

by Adrimarie

**Oceanic Crib 5**

Despite that the surf crew and the three surfer girls Coco, Caren, and Noel had come to an agreement to form an alliance for the upcoming First Annual Surf Scenes Tournament, the crew's champion surfer Kaito did not have his mind at the meeting. His older twin Gaito did most of the deals and managing the entire team altogether anyway and in some ways did not need Kaito's presence when it comes to creating relationships with other groups like the three Pearl Waters waitresses. While Daichi and Kengo continued to stare at the three waitresses from head to toe while Masahiro and Nagisa listened on with the meeting, Kaito had something else in mind.

Michal still continued to talk to him as she had her school books open but was unaware that Kaito was not listening to her at all. There were other bikini-clad girls from his school from the Rainbow Pop Girls clique to his own personal fan club who tried to get attention but failed to even receive a single hello. In fact, he was not even staring towards the sea as he was sitting on his spot with the ocean behind his back. He had his eyes directly towards a certain surf band who were setting up their stage and their instruments. To be more specific he could not take his eyes off of Lucia Nanami.

The song she sang to the girls at the beach last night was what captured his attention to her. Though he left the scene early there was no doubt that he could not ignore her. He was tempted to stay longer that night but did not want to embarrass his friends alongside him. Besides, he did not want Lucia and the girls find out that they were spying on them which was why he bailed out early.

He tried to play off these sudden feelings he received that night around his friends. He pretended he did not have a care with the song Lucia sang and thought that it was a lame song. But deep within he knew the song was way beyond lame because of one reason. It was not the words that captivated him to her, but it was the way she delivered the song from her voice and how she sang it to her friends. As of today he wanted to hear more from her. He wanted to hear her sing more songs like she sang yesterday but was afraid to even admit it to her.

In fact, Kaito still remembered the words and the notes of Lucia's song clearly in his mind. He was always fond of music in general since childhood. He was taught to play the piano and guitar, not to mention singing, along with his twin brother Gaito along with learning how to surf from his late father at a young age. Though he was well-versed with the piano, guitar, and even the craft of songwriting, singing was his favorite activity within music. He had a voice angelic enough to be part of the town's junior boys choir. After the twins' parents' death they somewhat abandoned their love for music and focused more on surfing in order for them to ease the pain of losing their parents to death. Eventually surfing became a part of their lives. Not only they play the sport but they live it as if it was their alternative oxygen.

When he heard Lucia's song that night he began to recall a special memory that he experienced during his childhood. That particular moment was not just a special memory to him but it was also the particular time when he stopped singing. But the day before he stopped singing he sang his last song and it was not just a song he particularly loved but it was a song he sang with someone whom he found very special.

Of all the songs he heard why Lucia's song? Kaito still could not find the explanation how or why Lucia's way of singing suddenly got to him. He wanted answers to these inner musical mysteries and why Lucia's singing style attracted him so much. How and where to find these answers were quite obvious. He had to get to know more about the mysterious blonde girl who had been in his homeroom class for the past three years in school but never really spoke to her in an open conversation until yesterday. This summer was the perfect time for him to learn more about Lucia Nanami.

Sure, he did admit to his friends that he had no time to _fall in love _or even make passes at girls who may catch his attention due to the tournament, but who would have thought that he would ever meet a girl who was completely different, and on top of that, one who is a major fan of the sport he loved the most? She was not even a surfer and he felt as if she knew more about surfing than he did.

"Kaito. Hey dude. Wake up, man!"

Kaito felt a hard nudge from the side and finally woke up back to reality. He turned to his left to see Masahiro Hamasaki speaking to him. "Oh..."

"You alright, dude? You're like... spaced out!"

Kaito quickly turned his head. "I'm fine. I was just having my own _alchemy hour_, dude."

Masahiro raised an eyebrow at him. "_Alchemy hour_? Dude, we haven't even surfed out the waves yet because we haven't seen any breakers yet! We're just sitting around here waiting while we're chatting with our newly-formed surfer girls here. How can you be on an _alchemy hour_?"

"Well... I have other definitions of my _alchemy hour_--- and it still involves surfing!" Kaito insisted his reasons before Masahiro became more curious about his mood.

"Alright, alright, I won't argue. Whatever you say, man." Masahiro raised his arms letting him know he would not probe further. "But man... your eyes seem to be staring at something going on over there... with a stage and everything."

"That must be the Friday night band who performs at Pearl Waters. They're going to rehearse their stuff out here at the beach today instead of behind closed doors. This is the same band that we're after according to Nagisa."

"That reminds me, dude, why were you over there by the way? Were you talking to that Nanami girl?"

Kaito turned to Masahiro with an eyebrow raised. "I had to make contact with my contact for updates. Apparently these three fine surfer babes work at Pearl Waters--- and one of them is Sara's best friend. She still has yet to talk to the rest of the band members about the tournament thing but I think Nagisa and Seira were already doing that with Lucia's brother."

"Um, what about Rina?" Masahiro asked curiously, looking hopeful.

"What do you mean? She's a member of that band---"

"I mean... about the beauty pageant thing..."

Kaito stared at Masahiro with a slight dull expression. "Dude, weren't you supposed to take care of that? No, I didn't ask Lucia to talk to the Touin girl about the beauty pageant thing because that's your responsibility. She's over there right now setting up. Why not go and talk to her?"

Masahiro sighed and reached for his duffel bag. He pulled out his _Posh Mode_ magazine that had the Rina look-alike model on the cover. He winked and flashed the cover page at Kaito once more. "I'm going to sacrifice my wonderful face in order for me to convince her to be our beach babe for the beauty pageant, Kaito. I can take any girl's sack on the face anytime!"

"Don't kill yourself, Hamasaki." Kaito grinned and waved at his bespectacled buddy as he stood up from his spot and approach the stage where Rina was busy setting up their instruments on their newly-assembled mini-stage.

As Masahiro approached the stage, Kaito decided to return to the stage area and continue his premiere moment with the one and only girl in his homeroom class whom he never spoke openly. To Kaito, Lucia was completely different from all the girls he met and the girls he chose to date for one week. She was certainly different from Hanon Houshou and sighed in relief that Lucia was still her own person. Just as he was about to get up he was caught by Michal, who just returned from her private tutoring spot with a smile on her face.

"Oh Kaito--- where are you going?"

Kaito turned his head and spotted Michal approaching him. "Michal, what about your private tutoring?"

"I can't concentrate whenever you're not around, Kaito." Michal frowned sadly and gazed right up at his face lovingly. "Don't you understand that true love actually helps a person gain more confidence in doing better with everything? Just the thought of you really helps me boost up my motivation to study and work harder, you know?"

"Michal, I'm just gonna be at the stage area because Hamasaki may need backup with his assigned task with one of the band members there. I'm not gonna leave the beach or anything. Just chill and go back to your studying or else I'll get in trouble with your brother, okay?"

Michal sighed deeply and gazed down. "Why is it that between my brother and me you trust my brother more? It's not like I get in to trouble all the time or anything or that I get bad grades. Why won't you let me be a normal teen girl for once, you know? I want to experience beach life like you and Rihito too!"

Kaito tried to keep his cool without getting annoyed by the girl who was obviously in to him. He was not even surprised anymore if any of his closest female friends also were secretly having crushes on him. Michal was another girl different and like Lucia she is another nice girl who seems to have a focus in her life, which was why he was being cautious.

"Okay, Michal. Want to come with me to the stage so we can back up Hamasaki while talking to your brother too?"

"What? No way!" Michal exclaimed with her arms crossed. "Is that all you're going to do? Just go there to talk to my brother and help Hamasaki? Why didn't you tell me! I'm really worrying about nothing!" She chuckled in relief as she waved towards Kaito. "Well, sorry to make you worry! I'm going back to study now!" She left Kaito standing while the surfer boy sighed in relief at the same time.

_No, not talking to your brother or back up Masahiro Hamasaki, Michal. I want to talk to Lucia... alone..._

He made his way to the stage area for a chance to speak to Lucia again. In the meantime Gaito and Sara, along with the three newly-formed surfer girls Coco, Caren, and Noel, looked on at Kaito approaching the stage area where the OC-5 band were setting up. The three girls snickered and turned to the couple.

"So, did Kaito ever talk to you guys about his love life?" Coco asked curiously with enthusiasm.

"He's got a love life? Really?" Sara responded with a slight snicker on her face. "I never knew Kaito can be sensitive too..."

"Don't count on it," Gaito joined in the snickering. "Kaito would only be sensitive if it involves the dangers of surfing or the ocean in general. Why are you ladies look rather hopeful? He's not gonna get a permanent girlfriend soon..."

"Okay, I know we're not supposed to tell you guys about all this but since we're all teammates and we're all cool and everything we'll tell you anyway!" Caren giggled happily while Coco and Noel gazed at the daffy girl with raised eyebrows.

"Caren, there is a reason why it's called a _secret_," Noel answered with a sigh. "Okay, a certain person from Pearl Waters is in love with Kaito--- but before you say that's nothing new, this girl is different. She's got a lot of reasons why she's head over heels on that kid and they are very personal, deep reasons."

Sara rubbed her chin in contemplative mode while gazing at Kaito at the stage area. Then she spotted Kaito climbing over the stage and greeted Lucia while the girl was gathering the wires of her rhythm guitar. She smiled to herself and turned to the girls. "Does this girl happen to have have medium-length blonde hair, brown eyes, a cute smile, and is inches shorter than Kaito?"

"Hm...?"

The rest of the group snapped their heads to the stage area where they spot Kaito and Lucia talking on stage once more. Also on that stage they find Hippo warming up his drumming by beating his drumsticks together while Taro and Rihito were discussing the songs they were going to play. At the opposite side of the stage from Lucia and Kaito were Masahiro and Rina discussing about the beauty pageant portion of the tournament.

Rina still had the same reaction as she did the other day when Masahiro made the fashion model cover girl remark the first time they spoke to each other at first. Masahiro anticipated that he would get the same uncertain reaction from the school's biggest tomboy which was why he presented her this month's issue of _Posh Mode _magazine with the cover of the look-alike. Rina slowly picked the magazine from Masahiro's hand and stared at the cover.

"Wow... you weren't kidding..." Rina murmured as she observed the model on the cover. "Well... she does... a little bit..." Quickly she gave the magazine back to Masahiro and turned her head away. "But you can't possibly imagine me in that getup. No way."

Masahiro gave a concerned reaction and asked. "Why do you always say that? Have you actually tried wearing a bikini and looked at yourself in the mirror? Or even a standard dress?"

"Why would I? It's not like guys actually care about what girls think or what girls really want to be as long as they look... _hot and sexy_... anyway. Besides, I can only be me, you know?"

"I understand, Rina. But this tournament is coming up and even if the rules stated that the surf tribe would be the one to choose which girl should represent our town in the beauty pageant we all decided that you're the best fit. And besides, you're only going to show yourself at the beauty pageant. Afterwards you can be whoever you want to be and I'll leave you alone---"

Rina's eyes widened and gazed at Masahiro's eyes through his eyeglasses. "Is that how you surfer dudes are? Once you're done with a girl you picked you're just going to dump her like trash like that? Who the heck do you think I am, man? No wonder a lot of girls are hurting because of you dudes. I mean really, you're not just a bunch of players but you're serious heartbreakers too! You guys just don't surprise me anymore..." At that point Rina attempted to turn herself away from Masahiro and mind her current business.

"Wait, Rina." Masahiro stopped her with his hand on her shoulder and cleared his throat. "That's not what I meant. I didn't come to you so I can pick you up and dump you later. I'm here because we want you to be the one to represent us in the beauty pageant segment of the tournament. I know this beauty pageant thing is a stupid addition to the tournament but you're not only doing this for us but you're doing it for Nijibe. We want to sweep the entire tournament and without you we won't achieve that."

Rina turned her head with her arms crossed. "Yeah right. Sure I'll do it for Nijibe and I'll do it for you guys but what if I don't win and not reach your sweeping victory? What are you gonna do then?"

Masahiro shook his head. "If you don't win it won't be your fault. We may still win at other segments but it won't be a sweeping victory. Either way we should win something coming from that tournament and that still counts too. Besides, you may never know if you're going to be the one who will lose our chance of a sweep if you don't try entering. I told the dudes that I'll take care of everything if you do agree to be our beach babe."

Rina was still skeptical, but for the first time she was actually listening to a guy who claimed he was not there to hit on her. "I don't know how you're going to help me, Hamasaki, but as you can see I'm not a rich person's daughter like half of the kids in this town are so I can't exactly afford to buy a dress or a really nice bathing suit and all that for the pageant..."

Slowly Masahiro touched Rina's chin and slowly turned her head back towards him. "I said I'll take care of everything. The dress, the bikini or bathing suit, everything... the only thing we need from you is your talent, poise, grace, and most of all, beauty--- in and out. Sure everyone in school sees you as the biggest non-girly tomboy around but I don't see that when I look at you."

Rina fell silent and found herself in a trance from Masahiro's kind words. This was the first time that someone would actually say a lot more meaningful gestures other than her being pretty underneath the tough exterior. She felt that Masahiro wanted to know more of who she is as a person, not as a tough girl untouched.

"You're really serious about this, Hamasaki..." Rina murmured while feeling nervous all around her. Though she was used to having boys attempting to make passes at her somehow Masahiro Hamasaki was able to break through her barriers with just honest words and no flattery.

"I can't really tell you how much beauty you truly possess, Rina... but I want to show you if you would let me..." Right then he gave his _Posh Mode _magazine to Rina. "You don't have to look exactly the same as the girl on the cover. In fact, I think you would look better than this cover girl."

Rina gazed at the magazine cover and sighed. "I'll... I'll think about it. I'll let you know what I decide later. I gotta head back on stage and set up..."

"Keep the magazine. I have an extra copy. Take your time. You don't need to give me an answer right away."

"Thanks. I will." Masahiro waved and headed back to the surf crew's spot. As he walked off Rina held the magazine to herself and then her cheeks blush red. _Masahiro Hamasaki... maybe you're not such a bad guy after all..._

At that time Lucia and Kaito were having their small moment together, even if it was chatting about anything else other than themselves. Kaito knew he had to start some form of conversation to get Lucia's attention and he found it right away when he saw her pick up her guitar and connecting the plug to the amplifier.

"So, you not only sing but you play the guitar too." Kaito pointed out to the red rhythm guitar Lucia possessed.

"Not the lead guitar," Lucia chuckled nervously. "I can't do riffs as fast as Taro can, but I'm pretty good playing melodies sometimes. He and Rihito took some time to each me how to play because they needed a second guitar between the lead and the bass, so here I am!"

Kaito sat on the edge of the stage while Lucia sat next to him with the guitar. "Is there anything else that you can do that majority of us don't know about?"

Lucia smiled happily with her head slightly turned from him. "Mmm... that depends."

"Okay, here's what I know about you so far. You sing surfing songs--- even sing them from your head too without writing the lyrics down; you play the rhythm guitar and a member of the band that still has no name---"

"OC-5!" Lucia exclaimed happily. "We just came up with the band name earlier today, which is why we decided to rehearse out there--- to introduce ourselves."

"Okay, I'll add that," Kaito chuckled. "OC-5, huh... that's a pretty cool name for a surf band... Okay, so you're a member of a band known as OC-5; your family owns Pearl Waters; you live with your older sister and your brother who happens to be the drummer of OC-5; you're best friends with the school tomboy Rina Touin---"

"Oh come on, Kaito, she's not always that _masculine_. She can be girly too when she wants to be."

"Alright. You're best friends with the ultra-cool hot chick Rina Touin and later on former prominent _Rainbow Pop Girls _Hanon Houshou started hanging out with you guys; you're quite well-informed about surfing, the industry, and even our very own surf culture. You live practically at the beach as in oppose to across the beach, which makes you a surf bum. But for a surf bum... why do you always show up fully-clothed? This is the beach, babe!"

Lucia suddenly found herself blushing at the thought and quickly covered her face to hide the red. "Well I... I love my clothes, so what? I think I can get by with just a shirt and shorts!" She fell silent for a few moments and sighed lowly. "I guess everyone's right about you surfer dudes always checking out girls in really kinky bikinis whenever the surf's down... and the problem is that not all girls would look desirable in a bikini and it's unfair..."

Kaito slowly scooted himself closer to her and whispered. "Don't feel that way, Lucia. I admit, I like girls in bikinis--- especially the most revealing ones--- any guy would like them. Even if that was the case, I never said they're my only type. There's a difference, you know."

Lucia's eyes widened in surprise at first but then turned to a nervous chuckle. "Oh... well you have a point there! It's just that..."

Right at that moment Kaito gently touched Lucia's chin with his thumb and forefinger and winked. "This is your territory after all, Lucia. You can show up at this beach wearing whatever you feel like wearing. With just a t-shirt and shorts you'd still attract guys--- even the hot dudes, you know..."

_Even guys like you, Kaito? _Lucia slightly blushed thinking of that particular thought, then shook her head right away. "Well, right..." Quickly she changed the subject before anything awkward may occur during their chat once again. "Well Kaito, I heard from my brother that the waves will break about thirty feet in just a few hours. I know you're probably stoked right now, getting impatient and all."

"Stoked, yes. Impatient? Not part of the surfer's vocabulary." Kaito jumped from his seat to the sand.

Lucia chuckled shyly, nodding at the same time. "The ocean never loses its cool. Thus surfers shouldn't lose their cool too. The breakers will roll in soon. It'll come because the local surf forecasts predicted it--- and they're never wrong."

"Exactly." Kaito smiled along with his response. "Well, another thing I learned about you on my _What do I know about Lucia Nanami? _List."

Lucia stood up from her seat and laughed at his statement. "Really? What's that?"

Just as Kaito was about to answer he and Lucia were startled to hear numerous voices calling for his name. He turned his head to see Michal and a few of her friends--- many of them are from the Rainbow Pop Girls clique--- waving and calling for him.

"Looks like your girl friends are calling for you." Lucia reminded Kaito while still trying to keep her cool.

"Ugh..." Kaito frowned and gazed right back at Lucia. "I'll... I'll come back to you later---"

"Silly, I'll be right here with the band."

_Lucia..._ Kaito shrugged his arms and waved at Lucia. The confident girl waved in return as the two part their ways for the moment.

_There's no point to be jealous at all. After all, I'm doing this little by little, right? I think today I can finally consider him a friend... Even if he teases me sometimes..._

She headed back to where the band was and all their instruments were all wired, set, and ready to play. Just as she was about to mingle with the rest of the band she spotted Hanon hiding nearby the rocks at the other side of the stage. It looked like she was eavesdropping but decided not to accuse her of that.

"Hanon? What are you doing hiding behind those rocks?" Lucia called down for her. Hanon felt a startle and looked up to see Lucia looking right at her.

"Ah! Lucia!" Hanon gasped and smiled nervously. "Um... how are you guys doing there with the stage?"

Lucia sat on the edge of the stage and continued. "We're done, actually. I think the guys were just tuning their guitars and stuff. We're ready to do our warm-up run. What about you, Hanon?"

Hanon slowly stood up from the rocks, showing herself with a rather sultry-looking sky blue string bikini and dark sunglasses on her eyes along with white beach sandals on her feet. "I'm actually hiding from Nagisa Shiroi... oh man... why am I being hit on by a little boy, Lucia?"

"Hanon, Hippo is a little boy. I think Nagisa Shiroi is close to being a _man_... I mean he hangs out with the surf crew now with the Doumoto Twins and the other guys. I think he's kinda nice---"

"Nice, Lucia?" Hanon frowned in desperation. "He's obsessed! Do you see him over there where those surfer dudes are? He's got that little girl hanging out with him and while she's talking he kept staring at me! What is wrong with that kid?"

Lucia chuckled and jumped from the stage to stand next to Hanon. "The boy's got a crush on you, silly! He doesn't look like the lecher type like most dudes around town nowadays. But what's two years, Hanon?"

"You're not helping, Lucia!" Hanon sighed sadly and lowered her head. "With him around both Taro or Rihito would never see me as a woman..."

"Um, I don't mean to burst your bubble, Hanon, but I don't think Taro or Rihito are interested in hooking up or looking for romance right now. Like the surf dudes focused for the tournament, both of them are very focused for... for the... tournament...also..." Lucia frowned knowing what she said was rather wrong and began to think.

"Well anyway, enough about me. Let's talk about you, Lucia." Hanon grinned and nudged her on the side.

"Hey!" Lucia shrieked. "What?"

"Kaito's _What Do I Know About Lucia Nanami? _List? Do you know what that means, Lucia? It means you completely caught his attention and now he just couldn't get away from you! I mean... I don't think he's ever said things like that to any one of his _one-week girlfriends_ but since he's got that so-called _list_, it means he's interested in you! He wants to get to know you more. Okay, I'm just going to say flat-out, Lucia--- Kaito Doumoto is in love with you!"

"Aaaaahhhh!" Lucia shrieked in horror and covered her ears to hide her blushing red cheeks. "No no no... that can't be possible. If he really was in love with me then he would've ignored those crazy fan girls afar and just stay with me, you know? Well, he went to them instead of staying with me, which concludes he's not interested in me--- well not in that way anyway."

"Hm, you could be right, Lucia. Kaito hasn't exactly experienced how it really feels to be truly in love after all. He wouldn't know what on earth he's really feeling. Well, see, you're different from all the girls he got involved with so I'm guessing he wants to get used to girls like you, is all."

"Oh, I wouldn't go that far just yet, Hanon." Lucia gave a slight smirk and turned her head across from the stage area where the surf tribe including Kaito, Michal, and the girls were resting and waiting. "You see the surf tribe over there? Do you see Kaito and those girls? If you check out the younger looking girl with short red hair, that's Michal Amagi. I'm pretty sure Kaito can handle _nice girls_ like me, Hanon. I mean, why is he letting Michal cradle all around him like that while the rest of the girls complain and begging Kaito to let them hold him like that? And on top of that--- his zipper sweatshirt is coming off---"

Hanon gasped and blushed right when she spotted Kaito almost shirtless when his zipper sweatshirt was slowly slipping down from him thanks to Michal's rather obsessive clinging. Lucia paid no attention to what was going on then and stared at Hanon's reaction to the rather tantalizing view of Nijibei's _big kahuna_.

"Ugh, this is so unfair..." Hanon sighed and lowered her head. "I know I'm so over Kaito but I can never get over his hot bod... the faint six-pack he possesses... I swear Lucia he is _all man_!"

Lucia shook her head and snickered. "You really are something, you know that Hanon?" Deep inside Lucia knew that she had to agree with Hanon regarding Kaito's perfect build. For a boy at a tender age of fourteen he looked a lot more mature than his own age in terms of appearance. Even if this was the case his _clean cut _body was not one of the factors why she fell in love with him.

"Lucia... I think I'm gonna faint... be sure to catch me when I do..." Hanon continued to sigh and blush staring at Kaito's now fully-bared body but also sighed in relief to see Rihito at the crowd moments later scolding Michal and warning the rest of the girls around Kaito to back off. "Okay--- I think I'm going to faint more... that Rihito hottie is the hero of the day!"

"Oh Hanon..." Lucia sighed deeply with her eyes lowered. Moments later from the stage, the two girls were startled right when Taro spotted them at the side of the stage.

"There you are, little cousin!" Taro called for Lucia along with a grin. "Why are you down there? We're ready to rehearse. Rihito had to take care of some things with his sister."

"I'm ready for rehearsals, Taro!" Lucia quickly climbed back up on stage while Taro stared at Hanon curiously.

"Hey Hanon, can you do us a favor?"

Hanon gasped and turned her head towards Taro and blushed once more. "Yes, Mr. Mitsuki?"

Taro chuckled and answered. "Can you round up the beach peeps nearby so we can have an audience while we rehearse? Oh, don't forget to put a towel around you. Guys would be looking at you..."

"Ohhh?" Hanon blushed even more and covered herself with her arms.

"Take it slow, Hanon... don't be too revealing. You're way too nice for that." Taro smiled and waved at her as he headed back to his position on stage.

Hanon stood in silence while gazing at Taro Mitsuki adjusting the strings of his guitar while Lucia did the same with her rhythm guitar. After a few moments of contemplation she began to blush even more with her hands on her cheeks.

_My sweet Taro Mitsuki... you're so sweet and protective... but... you don't like me in a bikini...? But I'm a woman... don't you see me as a woman...? Once more I sigh again..._

Hanon stepped out from the rocks and ran to all the people she was familiar with. While she was on the task

she bumped in to Nagisa also doing the same with the boys. "Oh!"

Nagisa gasped to see Hanon on her sultry bikini and quickly removed his zipper sweatshirt and placed it around her. "Nagisa--- what are you doing?"

"Guys are looking at you with dirty minds, Hanon." Nagisa warned her and forcefully placed her arms around the sweatshirt on her to keep it closed. "You don't know these beach bum dudes. Their perverted minds are a lot worse than Kaito's!"

With Nagisa's sweatshirt around her Hanon felt something else within her. She slowly zipped up Nagisa's sweatshirt to keep herself secure and not completely exposed. "You... you know that's my purpose of having a bikini on--- to catch guys!"

"Uh, don't you think I don't know that, Hanon? In my case you're attracting the wrong guys here and you deserve a lot better... seriously."

Hanon sighed in surprise. Who would have thought that even a younger guy like Nagisa would even be more concerned about her well-being in public just like that? He was a surfer boy and Hanon always had the idea that all surfer boys all thought of the same things thanks to her _one-week girlfriend _experience with Kaito last year. She even thought that Nagisa was a poser like most of the boys in school who dreamed of hanging out with the Doumoto Twins and the entire (soon to be formerly known as) Rainbowside Surf Tribe, but after this event she was beginning to see something else with this particular admirer.

"Thanks... Nagisa..."

"You better head on stage. I'll round up the people here." Nagisa gave a thumbs up to his crush as Hanon smiled faintly. She returned the wave and headed back to the stage area.

_Nagisa _Shiroi_... I never thought you'd be like a gentleman but... you're still too young for me..._

Meanwhile Seira arrived at the surf tribe's spot where she met with her older sister Sara, her boyfriend Gaito, the three surfer boys Masahiro, Daichi, and Kengo, and the three surfer girls. She announced to them that the band on stage was ready to perform for their rehearsal and that everyone present at the beach were being gathered around for a preview show.

"Well," Coco stood up from her spot and stretched her arms. "The Age of the OC-5 begins!"

Sara followed Coco and did the same to get herself in shape again. "OC-5? That's the band's new name?"

"Bingo!" Coco gave a wink. "They just came up with it earlier today."

"OC-5!" Seira exclaimed happily. "That's just so cool! It fits them too--- with three cool guys and two cool girls--- the name says it all! And Hippo--- I can't wait to see Hippo roll those drums like crazy!"

"Rihito Amagi's a genius with names like these," Gaito answered from behind. "Well, what are we doing sitting around here for? Looks like we won't have any luck expecting any swells at this time so we might as well get ourselves hyped with the band."

Sara stood up and pulled up Gaito from his seat as the others got up from their spots. Daichi and Kengo ran to the twins with hopeful faces to the Lake Twins.

"Um... we were wondering if you... wanna dance with us?" Kengo asked nervously right at Caren.

Caren gazed at Kengo with a grin on her face. "I prefer group dancing. What do you think, Noel?"

Noel shrugged nervously and turned to Daichi. "You don't mind, do you? Besides, the more, the merrier!" She turned to Caren and nudged. "Come on, Caren, let's take front row!"

"Okay!" The sisters dashed their way ahead of the group, leaving the two hopeless boys behind.

"Hey--- wait up!" Daichi and Kengo ran after the sisters from behind.

Masahiro walked right next to Gaito and whispered: "I think I may have accomplished my task for today."

Gaito shifted his eyes towards the tall, bespectacled surfer-biker. "What do you have, Masahiro?"

"I talked to Rina Touin earlier and I gave her my copy of the magazine. I advised her to think about it further and let me know when she makes her decision."

"You did tell her when the tournament is, right?"

"I'm pretty sure she's well-informed. I mean she hangs out with die-hard surfing fans, right?"

"You better make sure you remind her, Hamasaki. We don't want to waste any more time looking for a beach babe at the last minute."

Masahiro turned his head and walked backwards while facing Gaito and Sara. "I got this all covered, Gaito. Don't worry about a thing."

At that time as the beach crowds gathered around beneath the stage Lucia was just finishing tuning her rhythm guitar with Taro's help. Rina finally took her eyes off of the _Posh Mode _fashion magazine Masahiro gave her earlier today and began to test the keyboard that was just put up not too long after she practiced blowing through the mouthpiece of her saxophone and unleashed some portable percussion instruments from a small bar of bells and tambourine to small bongo drums she quickly picked up from Hippo's percussion skills. Hippo had been warming himself up by beating his sticks against a wooden beating pad rather than using the actual drum set.

Just as Hippo was getting ready to head back to his drum set he caught Nicola, his aunt Taki, and their part-time cook Maki approaching their way to their spot on the beach from Pearl Waters with excitement on their faces. At that time Nicola spotted Hippo and waved at him.

Hippo stood up and waited until the three reached the stage area. He approached them and jumped from the stage. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Don't ask questions like that, Hippo," Nicola answered with a chuckle. "You think we're not gonna watch your rehearsal outside? We can't miss this for the world, kid!"

Hippo scratched his head and raised an eyebrow of suspicion. "Well, it's kinda weird you'd come out here, Nicola... since you never really liked the beach and all."

Taki shifted her eyes towards her manager niece and crossed her arms. "_This _is still bothering you, Nicola?"

"Auntie, I don't want to talk about it," Nicola answered with her arms crossed. "I have exceptions too, you know."

Maki looked rather confused with the situation and patted Nicola on the shoulder. "Nicola, it's okay. I know you have your reasons why you've been avoiding the beach for many years now. I've known you since you were still Nijibe's _Gorgeous Gidget_ and I always thought you were one of the coolest, bravest girls who lived in this strip of the beach."

"Maki, I get it." Nicola frowned and sighed deeply. "Please don't mention about that. It's one thing I'm trying to get rid of from my personal memories. Let's just enjoy the present, shall we?"

"_Gorgeous Gidget_?" Hippo asked in wonder about his older sister. "How come I didn't know about this, Nicola?"

Nicola hushed her younger brother and whispered: "Maki was just joking... don't mention anything about it, okay? It's a silly inside joke that he and I share..."

Hippo shrugged his arms and decided to ignore that tidbit. "Alright then, Sis. You guys enjoy the show. I think it's time for us to get---" Just as the young boy was heading back to his drum set both Lucia and Taro appeared at the same area, also looked surprised to see Nicola, Taki, and Maki on the scene.

"Whoa, Nicola!" Taro exclaimed in shock. "You're... you're here!"

"Hey guys!' Lucia waved at the three adults who just arrived. "Aunt Taki, Mr. Maki, glad to see you here! But Nicola... I didn't expect you to be here..."

Nicola frowned with her arms crossed. "What's the matter with you kids? Okay, so I'm here, standing on these warm sands of the beach. Sure I praise the beach across the street from us but I never really wanted to be standing here--- but then you guys will be performing even if it's rehearsals and I wanted to watch, so I decided to come out here."

Taro jumped from the stage, looking rather worried, as he took his cousin by the wrist and found an area where they can talk alone. "Be straight with me, Nicola. I'm family too and I'm worried."

Nicola patted Taro on the shoulder with a smile. "I wanted to see you and my siblings and your friends perform, that's all. I mean, what kind of a manager would I be if I'm not present and supporting the OC-5, hm?"

"Nicola, you know what I'm talking about. It makes me wonder if something finally helped you overcome your fear of standing at the beach. After many years of your screaming tantrums while we were trying to get you out of the house and make yourself more familiar with the beach again we gave up trying. And now seven years later you're back in the beach again."

Nicola lowered her head and sighed. "Even until now I'm still not over it, Taro. You have no idea how happy I was to see you living with us permanently. I kinda needed a big brother around the house and all."

Taro took Nicola in his arms and embraced her like a good _big brother _he was. "You're a cool and brave girl, Nicola. I remember how every little girl always wanted to grow up to be like you around town. You had no idea how much the entire surfing world cried along with you about the tragedy that happened seven years ago---"

Nicola immediately shook her head and closed her eyes, trying not to shed any tears. "Taro, let's not talk about what happened seven years ago--- and also, don't tell any of this to Lucia and Hippo. They were still young when that horrid tragedy happened and I don't want them to go through the pain that I've been going through even until now. It's unfair for them to break their happiness just like that. Lucia was already my age when the tragedy happened and Hippo isn't far back either. I want them to have a happier life than I did. That's all that matters to me right now."

Taro released his cousin from his arms and nodded. "Alright. Just remember whenever you need someone to talk to, I'll be around." The two cousins pumped each other's fist as an alternative to a hi-five and Taro climbed back up on stage again. Once he stood Lucia tapped him on the shoulder and whispered.

"What's up with Nicola, Taro? Is she okay?" Lucia asked with concern.

"Don't worry about her, Lucia. She's a tough girl. I think she finally overcame her fear of the beach."

"I feel weird sometimes having a cool sister who's afraid of the beach, Taro. I mean Hippo and I love the beach so much that we practically live in it!"

"Well, if you're worried about her, Lucia, let's do her a favor. Don't ask her about the beach or anything about your parents."

"Why would I ask her that? We already know how our parents died. I just wish Nicola would talk to me and Hippo more, you know?"

Taro patted Lucia on the shoulder. "We a got a show to perform, Lucia. Better get ready."

"Alright, alright."

The band members on stage finally got in to positions just as Rihito arrived on stage along with Kaito, Michal, and some of Michal's Kaito-crazy friends behind. For his sake Kaito quickly ran to where his surfer crew were standing to avoid being wrestled down by any obsessed girl he may end up encountering. He thanked Rihito for saving him from the crowd earlier when Rihito lectured his younger sister and her friends about respecting a person's request (which in this case was to leave Kaito alone when he asks them to leave him alone). Once Kaito got to his spot he noticed his twin brother Gaito snickering right at him.

"Well then," Gaito snickered while patting his younger twin on the shoulder. "This is what you get for seducing too many girls too much for your enjoyment."

"I wasn't doing anything, G! I was just sitting there waiting for the band to play and I was still gathering information from our special contact." Kaito glared towards his twin as he put his sweatshirt on. Because of the obsessive struggle with Michal and her friends the zipper of his sweatshirt was already ruined. "Man, this was my favorite sweatshirt too. I'll just have to have it sewn at some tailor shop or something..."

Gaito raised an eyebrow at him. "Just buy another sweatshirt or something. Hell you got too many sweatshirts in your closet that you barely even wear. Why have that thing sewn? It's already ruined---"

"G, this sweatshirt is a sentimental value to me and I'm not just gonna stop wearing it just because the zipper's jacked. Ever heard of this thing called _saving your money_?"

"Fine, fine. I won't argue, Kaito. You're more of a fashion expert than I am after all." Gaito shrugged his arms as the twins fell silent.

In the meantime the three surfer girls spotted their boss Nicola standing with Taki and Maki at the side of the stage waiting for the band to get ready. Like the rest of the family and those who were close to Nicola the girls were also shocked.

"Wow..." Noel gasped with her hands on her cheeks. "Was that... Boss?"

"That's Boss, alright," Caren confirmed. "No doubt about it."

Coco sighed in amazement. "This is awesome... is Boss finally overcoming her personal fear of the beach?"

Masahiro, Kengo, and Daichi overheard the surfer girls' conversation and decided to join in. "Boss? You mean the owner and manager of Pearl Waters, right?" Daichi asked curiously.

"Well, we did say _Boss_, right?" Caren giggled and nudged Daichi on the side. "You know, she's the reason why the Lake Twins and myself decided to work part-time at Pearl Waters. She was the inspiration of all Nijibe surfer girls everywhere!"

Sara joined in the conversation and nodded in agreement. "I wanted to work for Pearl Waters years ago because back then I used to have a huge crush on Taro Mitsuki. At that time I didn't know that Nicola Nanami was related to him and by the time that I finally decided to apply all the spaces were filled, so I missed out. Thanks to Coco and the twins here I found a lot of respect and admiration for Nicola Nanami. She's like... the coolest person you'll ever meet..."

"Okay, you girls lost me," Masahiro answered with perplexed expression on his face. "The only thing we know about her is that she's the owner and manager of Pearl Waters. We also know that she's also the older sister of the two Nanamis in our school, Lucia and Hippo. That's about it... but you girls seem to know a lot more about her. It sounds like you honeys look up to her... for some reason."

"You know Hamasaki," Coco answered, "if you do some historical research of this town you'll know."

"Heh, make us do all our own work, are we, Coco?" Masahiro gave a slight smirk on his face.

"We ain't your slaves, dude." Coco retorted with the same smirk on her face. "Do your own work!"

Kengo and Daichi laughed while Masahiro quickly glared right at them. Just then the two boys stopped the laughter.

"Hey, shhh!" Sara hushed them and points towards the stage. "I think it's starting!"

At the stage, all of the band members of OC-5 were ready to go with their instruments with Rihito taking the microphone and calling out to all the beach goers around. "Everyone gather around and give us a chance to talk to you beachsters and surfers of all ages and types!"

While Kaito continued to stick to his position next to his twin brother and Sara, Michal alone found her way through the crowd and found the love of her life on spot and ran to him. "Kaito... I'm sorry about earlier... it's just that... I don't like the way those other girls nearby looking at you like that---"

"Shh..." Kaito knew Michal just arrived but he had no time to deal with girls like her. But because the show was going on with her older brother talking he remained silent and listened to Rihito's announcement.

"Thanks for being here and I'm pretty sure you're all hyped and stoked to see the next major breaker like the one you all saw yesterday, right? Local surf forecasts today predicted a thirty-feet swell rolling in at our strip in just a few hours, so while you all wait for yet another major event let us raise up your stoke level with a quick warm up."

Rihito placed his bass guitar around him and turned to the rest of the band, waiting for his signal. He turned back to the mic and spoke: "Warming ourselves up we have a little jam called _Pressure_. Feel free to get wild if you like."

Right then Rihito backed from the mic and gave a soft three-second countdown. After the countdown was over Hippo began his short drum roll and the rest of the band began playing their parts: Taro on lead guitar, Lucia on rhythm guitar, Rihito on bass guitar, Rina on the keyboard, and Hippo on the drums. Just a few seconds of their chords majority of the beach enthusiasts began to dance along with the fast-paced, uptempo beat.

It was a pumped up surf rock instrumental! This intense sound was only for warming the band members up with their instruments? Anyone would think that a band would start their warm ups with something slow but a low-key band such as the OC-5 would do something non-traditional to get their audience to listen to what they were playing.

Michal cheered happily for her brother on bass guitar and then turned to Kaito, whom she caught him slightly bobbing his head to the beat. Right then she took a hold of his arm with a smile on her face. "Come on, Kaito, let's dance!"

Kaito slowly dragged himself away from her. "I don't dance-- hey, lay off, will you?"

"But you like my brother's music, don't you? Come on, if you don't dance he'll be upset!"

"Michal, you just won't give up, won't you? I just don't---" Before things can get out of control between the surfer boy and the daffy little sister of a fellow surfer boy Hanon appeared right at them and from out of the blue began dancing. "Uhh... Hanon?"

"Come on now, Kaito, you don't expect Michal to believe that, won't you? You were really hot when you dance the last time when you and I used to be together..." Hanon winked with a grin on her face.

"Uhh... that was different, Hanon! We were---" Before he can continue he immediately stopped himself knowing Michal was still at the front of him. "Girl, you can't expect me to dance to a song this fast! I'd have to be drunk or something for me to dance this fast. Besides, none of the dudes in the surf tribe can dance this fast anyway!"

Hanon snickered and pointed her finger towards the rest of the boys along with Sara and the three surfer girls on a circle, dancing their way through the fully-charged surf rock being played. "You mean that surf tribe, Kaito?"

Kaito spotted his dudes including his twin brother dancing wildly along with the girls and glared at the entire crew. "You traitors! What the hell?"

"Hey! Group dance!" From behind Nagisa and Seira arrived at their spots and found Kaito, Hanon, and Michal immediately.

Kaito turned to Nagisa and began to get down along with the beat and frowned. "Oh great... you too, Nagisa?"

Seira chuckled and nudged at Kaito. "Oh come on, Kaito, you were really cool when you dance--- I mean we've seen you dance several times during your nighttime parties at your place!"

"That was private!" Kaito continued to make excuses for his refusal to dance in public.

"But Kaito... I always wanted to see you dance..." Michal sighed sadly with a frown on her face. "Rihito even said that you dance really good--- especially when you're dancing with a really pretty girl..."

Hanon became frustrated with the situation and got closer to Kaito. "Listen, Kaito... Do you realize who's on stage right now? Lucia Nanami, that's who! She's rockin' hard with that guitar of hers and I'm pretty sure she'll be looking for you and if she finds you not dancing it'll break her heart!"

Michal raised an eyebrow of suspicion towards Hanon and turned to her. "Lucia Nanami--- you're not talking about my brother's boss' sister, are you?"

"Why? How many Lucia Nanamis do we have here in this town, hun?" Hanon stuck her tongue at Michal and continued to dance. She turned her head back towards Kaito who suddenly just disappeared from his spot. "What the--- where'd he go?"

"Kaito--- you left me again?" Michal frowned and crossed her arms in disappointment. "Kaito, where are you?"

Hanon turned her head towards Nagisa and Seira who continued on dancing and simply having fun. "Hey! Where'd Kaito go?"

Nagisa opened his eyes and noticed Kaito gone, then shrugged his arms. Seira looked around to find him and quickly spotted him. "He's over there--- right in front of the stage! He's... he's watching the band playing and... snapping his fingers... and bobbing his head... and tapping his feet!"

"Man, I didn't know you were the observant type, Seira," Nagisa made his remark at her description. Seira answered by sticking her tongue out at him.

Hanon followed where Seira was pointing and stared at Kaito slightly from his backside. He noticed the angle his head was lifted and where his eyes was directed. Just by judging by the smile on his face his eyes were fixated towards Lucia, who had just given a solo guitar rip on the second half of the song by lead guitarist cousin Taro Mitsuki.

Lucia definitely had a smile on her face as she played her part of the entire song. When it came to music she was always hyped and completely filled with joy. Just as she spotted Kaito right at the stage gazing at her her smile widened and played her best guitar solo for this song, even if this was just a warm up.

_To hell with the dancing, man... the only thing that matters here is the band! _Judging from the way Lucia smiled Kaito felt that she did not have a care in the world if he danced to the song she was playing or not. In fact Kaito even wondered if Lucia knew how to dance herself since all she was doing was bobbing her head while playing her guitar.

A few moments later the song finally reached its end. Just as it ended everyone stopped dancing or getting wild with the song and applauded along with cheers and whistles towards the band. The band faced the crowd and bowed gracefully. Afterwards they stood back up and applauded along with the audience. Rihito took the mic once more with his gracious smile.

"That was _Pressure_, one of our newest compositions and yes, that was just a warm up for us. Thanks for sticking around and let us entertain you and get you all psyched as we wait for the big break of the ocean in just a few hours from today. We a very local band, all born and raised in Nijibe, bringing you the spirit of Nijibe's beach life through music. Our awesome lead guitarist is our future music teacher at Nijibe Junior High when summer's over, Taro Mitsuki."

Taro gave a small salute to the audience in exchange for the cheers, praises, and applauds.

"On the keyboard, sax, and portable percussion is the naturally talented cool babe, Rina Touin."

Rina gave a thumbs up to the audience and received applauses, cheers, and even seductive whistles from dirty-minded boys around, which made her frown and turn her head. _Bunch of perverts..._

"On the rhythm guitar and on the drums are the very cool sister and brother team--- Lucia and Hippo Nanami!"

Lucia waved while Hippo saluted the audience by pointing a drum stick to them accompanied with a wink. Kaito applauded loudly for Lucia while Seira suddenly fainted and caught by Nagisa before she hit the ground.

"Seira... are you okay?" Nagisa asked curiously and then looked towards Hippo and raised an eyebrow at him. _He just pointed out his drum stick and she faints...? What the heck...?_

"Last but not least, yours truly, Rihito Amagi, bass." Rihito continued, introducing him the last. "Nice to meet all of you. We're the OC-5--- Oceanic Crib Five." More applauding came and in general the faces of the audience all flashed with glees and smiles. "We're still warming up--- except we got vocals this time. Here we go with _Surfer Set_."

Rihito gave the countdown again as the band began to play. The bass player went for the mic again and began to sing while the rest of the band wait for the part for them to sing back vocals.

_They go around the coast and there they have a lot of fun_

_Out there from the mountains slowly comes out the sun_

_And when I get a board now you can just bet_

_I'm gonna be a member (of the surfer set!)_

_I'm gonna take my money and I'm gonna put it away_

_And take every paycheck when it comes to pay day _

_I'm gonna pay a little cash so I won't be in debt_

_And I'll ride my board (with the surfer set!)_

As expected the audience began to dance and some, like Kaito, bobbed their heads with foot tapping and even fingers snapping, simply enjoying this song that only Nijibe beach goers will ever hear. That was fine, according to both classical musicians Taro and Rihito. Their classical music training and composing skills helped them experiment and created new sounds in new types. Who said they had to be rock enthusiasts in order to write compositions as heavy and fast-paced? Legendary rock and rollers of the past all started as classical musicians anyway.

After the instrumental break, the song continued:

_(Of the surfer set!)_

_Now I saw a longboard and the price is just right_

_So I'm gonna take my money and I'll pick it up tonight_

_And with a really pretty chick, I'll be sure to get_

_We're gonna ride together (with the surfer set!)_

_(We're gonna ride together with the surfer set... with the surfer set...)_

After the song ended everyone applauded again as the band gave another humble bow. Rihito took the mic again and announced: "Well, I think we're warmed up now. We'll be taking a break now because in the meantime, dudes and dudettes, the swell's getting rapid again and it looks like our 30-feet monster wave has finally arrived!"

"MONSTER WAVES, DUDES! SURF'S UP, BABY!"

From out of the blue Kaito pumped up his fist and led the surfers (and the _kooks_) back to their spots, grab their board, and paddled their way out to the ocean where even the smallest swells can provide the awesome rides. For experts like Kaito, Gaito, and even the rest of their surf tribe as well as the three surfer girls, it was the 30-feet giant wave that they were after.

Lucia jumped from the stage and ran towards the shore along with the non-surfers at the same time. While Michal and the Kaito fan girls ran right at the shore itself, Lucia stood on dry sand knowing she would have a better view of the surfers, most especially Kaito, at the right distance between the wave and the land. After watching Kaito take on the 30-feet wave with everyone else behind him she turned around to look for her friends and anyone else she knew, wondering if they were watching this rather historic moment. At the stage she caught Hippo and Maki watching the waves with Hippo looking through his pair of binoculars.

Maki lent his earphone from his portable player to Hippo to listen to the live local surf forecast reports. After a few moments he turned to Maki with a curious face. "What's this that they're talking about?"

"You didn't know, Hippo?" Maki asked curiously. "The infamous _Dainami-Oni_ incident that happened in this particular beach around seven years ago."

Hippo shook his head as Maki gently placed his binoculars down. "What is it? I don't remember anything about a... _Dainami_-whatever you just said."

Maki turned to the side of the stage to find Taki standing, watching at the waves with slightly fearful expression. Nicola was nowhere to be found. "Looks like Nicola already left..."

Hippo still looked perplexed at what the surf forecasts were discussing on the air and turned back to the direction of Pearl Waters. At the third floor balcony he spotted Nicola staring towards the sea with both fearful and worried eyes. Maki patted Hippo on the shoulder right on the spot.

"I think you need to take a trip to the library or surf the net to find some information about the _Dainami-Oni _incident," Maki said. "I think it's very important. You'll find your answers there and these answers are also a tie-in to your family's history."

"My... family's history?"

Maki nodded. "I can't say any more about this, Hippo. I think you and your family should take a break and sit down and discuss about this incident. I better head back and get the kitchen ready."

Hippo still stood completely perplexed while still continuing to watch the surfing action going on at the sea. While he stood there he heard someone climbing over the stage close to him. He looked below and saw Seira climbing up the stage slowly to meet him. "Oh... Seira."

"Hi Hippo," Seira greeted with her sunny smile. "Mind if I join you?"

"I'm just standing here watching the surfers rip the waves." Hippo shrugged his arms as Seira stood right next to him.

"Awesome day, isn't it? The warmth of the sun is just perfect, the atmosphere is happenin', and man... the waves are going insane again like yesterday!"

Now that he had someone to talk to at this point it was time for him to talk about this new piece of information Maki provided him just now. "Hey Seira... um... how much do you know about this town's history?"

Seira gazed at Hippo wondering what the question was for but decided to answer him anyway. "Whatever I learned from school is all I know about Nijibe. How come you asked that?"

"What's this _Dainami-_what's itincident thing... or have you heard of it?"

Seira shook her head and shrugged her arms. "Never heard of it. Most likely because it probably happened when we weren't born yet... or maybe we were just too young to remember? Maybe Sara would know? Or maybe your sister--- not Lucia--- the older one--- ah, Nicola!"

Hippo gave a faint smile and nodded. "Thanks for the tip. Honestly I don't know why I didn't come up with that. On the other hand Nicola and surfing don't actually mix, but she's gotta know about this _Dainami-_whatever thing and what's it."

"Say, Hippo... are you going to play more? I mean you guys played two songs and that's like... not enough!"

"We're saving our energy for tonight's performance at Pearl Waters you know."

"Yeah I know. Hey--- what about our deal from earlier?"

"I'm about to get to that, actually," Hippo chuckled. "But Shiroi's out surfing right now. Better wait for him."

"Well, I'm gonna head out to the shore to meet up with Nagisa then. I'll see you later, Hippo!" Seira waved at him and jumped off the stage.

Hippo then turned to Rihito and Taro who were discussing which songs they needed to rehearse while they were out at the beach. Seeing the two young men he figured that both of them must know about this particular incident. He approached them and interrupted.

"Uh, sorry to bug you big dudes but I gotta ask you guys something."

Rihito and Taro looked up to see Hippo standing between them. "Sure, what's up, little dude?" Rihito asked curiously.

"Have you guys heard about this... uhh... how the hell do you say this... uhh... _Dai... na... Dynamo_? No, not that... well it sounds like that..."

"Uh, could you be more clear on that, Hippo?" Rihito asked, looking confused as ever.

"_Dainami-Oni_... isn't it, Hippo?" From the side Taro answered the young boy's question.

"Ah! So you've heard of it!" Hippo exclaimed happily towards Taro. The older cousin gave a startled expression and avoided the subject as much as he can by slightly turning his head away.

"Uh... not really... I just know the name..." Taro gulped nervously, not keeping any eye contact with his younger cousin.

"Hey! I know that look, Cuz--- you do know something about the incident!"

Taro slowly backed out from the boy and answered: "Okay, you got me, but I'm not at liberty to talk about it... It's a very sensitive subject matter!"

"It's this town's history, dude! Why not? I heard from the surf forecasts about possible signs of this _Dainamo-_what's itbased on the increasing measurement of the breakers as of late and Maki had to remind me about it. I mean people would talk about some brutal murder cases and other criminal cases that happened here but no one wants to talk about this thing?"

Taro sighed and lowered his head. "I guess you really don't know... Nicola never told you... or Lucia even?" Hippo shook his head with concern. "Hippo, if you're concerned about this... why not do some research or something before you start confronting about Nicola about it?"

Hippo frowned in disappointment and crossed his arms. "Fine... I guess I'll check it out later online or something..."

A few hours passed and it was almost noon at the strip and Pearl Waters was ready to open for the lunch hour up until late night. OC-5 continued their rehearsals with more instrumentals. Taro and Rihito decided they would do the vocal jams at tonight's performance even after Lucia requested Rihito if she can sing a song per Kaito's request earlier that morning. Rihito did not mind having the other members have a chance to sing but he also had another advertising strategy.

"Thanks for coming, everyone, and thanks for giving us a chance to make your morning at the beach rockin' and swingin'! We're done for the day here but if you really enjoyed our preview show and you want to see more of us, come over to Pearl Waters tonight at seven o'clock _sharp_! We're not starting before that time or even a few minutes after that time. We're starting at that time--- _sharp_! If you guys got any questions about us, our music, or even directions to get to Pearl Waters come on over and ask any one of us. But if you spend the entire day at the beach, even better. Pearl Waters is just across the street from the beach! Again, thank you all and we hope to see you tonight at Pearl Waters when you do!"

Almost every single beach goer applauded with excitement and enthusiasm that many of them came up to stage to talk to Rihito and Taro. Rina, Lucia, and Hippo began tearing down the set and bring them back to the restaurant and set them again at the actual stage. Just as the three began cleaning up a few of their friends came by with excited faces.

"You guys seriously rock!" Hanon exclaimed happily which caught the attention of the three on stage. "No kidding... I'm not just sucking up to you guys--- you guys just rule like that!"

"Thanks," Rina chuckled. "Well, I was kinda nervous out here earlier but everything went fine. We didn't mess up or stumble or anything."

"There's no doubt about it!" From behind Hanon the three surfer girls arrived, all wet and pumped, along with their surfboards in their arms. Coco continued on with her thoughts. "So, check this out, guys. Sara helped bridge the gap between us girls and the surf tribe and now we're one surfing team now. The girls and I are going to compete for the girls' surfing competition of the tournament. It's gonna be a lot of fun and seriously competitive!"

"And all that the dudes need is a surf band and whoever's insane enough who'd want to partner up for the tandem surfing contest and then the Nijibe surf team would be good to go and enter that upcoming tournament!" Caren snickered with a wink of her eye.

"Oh! Now that you guys are here!" Hippo dashed quickly to the group with an anxious expression. "Give me some info about a particular historical event that happened in this town!"

The girls stared at Hippo looking confused when Noel answered. "Sure, Hippo? What is it that you need?"

"Have you guys heard of _Dainami-Oni_?"

Lucia turned to Hippo with a blank face. "What did you say?"

"_Dainami-Oni_... I just heard of this term earlier during the life surf forecast news on the radio today. It's really important for me to know what it is..."

Coco, Caren, and Noel stared at each other with confused looks while Hanon and Rina also stared at each other confused as well. They looked up towards Hippo and shrugged their arms with heads shaking.

"Sorry, dude... I don't think we've heard of such thing." Caren answered with a slight frown on her face.

Noel, Hanon, and Rina also shook their heads as Hippo turned to his sister. "Don't look at me, Hippo. That's the first time I've heard of it."

"Now I'm really curious as to what this thing is..." Hippo rubbed his chin and contemplated. "See, I wanted to know from anyone who lived in this town long enough about that thing before I ask Nicola..."

"Oh..." Coco murmured softly and lowered her head. "Well, um... I think it's best if you do your own research instead of asking your sister... See... it's this particular thing you mentioned that Nicola refused to talk about. I'm even surprised she actually came here to the beach after so many years..."

Just as the conversation was about to continue Taro and Rihito arrived at the scene with smiles on their face. Taro waved at Rina, Lucia, and Hippo letting them know that they have a short meeting. The three followed them to the other side of the stage as they circled around.

"Rihito and I spoke to Gaito and Nagisa just now," Taro began. "It's about this year's first annual surf scenes tournament and because this is about _surf scenes _there is a surf band competition. We're the only band in this town who performs surf music so we're pretty much the only option the surfers have to enter the tournament."

"Wow!" Lucia smiled happily. "That's so cool! We get to compete alongside the surfers against the rest of all the surfing teams around the region--- except with music! The turnout was just overwhelming earlier today and they seem to like us... so I think we have a chance to win too!"

Hippo nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I meant to talk to you guys about this because Shiroi and Seira just won't stop bugging me regarding the surf band entry in to the tournament but it kinda slipped my mind for awhile."

Rina chuckled and answered nervously: "Looks I'll have to compete in two events..."

"Two events, Rina?" Lucia asked curiously. "What's the second one?"

"Er, I..." Rina turned her head away quickly, feeling embarrassed to mention what the second event was going to be. "Well... the second one... it's not official yet... but I'd like to join the surf band competition, guys."

"Aw come on, what's the second one?" Lucia begged while Rina remained silent, trying to keep the beauty pageant segment a secret to herself for now.

"Um... I'll tell you later, Lucia. This is more important."

"Aww..." Lucia sighed sadly with her face lowered from Rina.

Rihito took out a few documents that he received from Gaito after their short meeting moments ago and read what was on it. "So, Gaito provided us some copies of the rules and regulations regarding the surf band contest segment of the tournament. There's a limit of seven members that consists an ideal surf band. We have to perform seven songs total with equal distribution of instrumentals and vocals and one extra from either one of the categories. I've got enough instrumentals that Taro and I wrote back in college so we don't have a problem with that part. I haven't spent time composing vocal-contained tracks as much so we'll have to come up with these vocal songs. One of the vocals, it said here, has to be a summer or beach-style love ballad. Hm... never wrote one of those before..."

Rina nudged Lucia with a smile on her face. "You'll cover that summer or beach-style love ballad part, Lucia. That's your department right there!"

Lucia gave a short smile and shrugged. "Well, I'll do my best, Rina... although I gotta admit that most of the stuff I composed in my head are all... love declarations..."

"Gee... I wonder why..." Rina snickered while Lucia hushed her immediately.

"So, what we need from you band members is your okay for us to agree and have our band name entered in the surf tribe's entry in to the tournament," Taro continued from where Rihito left off. "So, are you guys okay with that? Rihito and I are saying yes on this one. Now we need your vote."

"Yes!" Rina answered enthusiastically.

"Me too! I say yes!" Lucia voted cheerfully.

Hippo shrugged his arms and answered: "Eh... why not? What do we have to lose besides the championship? I'm aiming for a sweep at this tournament too."

"Okay... unanimous vote," Rihito confirmed and smiled widely. "I can't wait for the tournament to begin. We got two months to rehearse and decide which songs we're gonna play as our entries to the contest. At the same time we'll have to scout around other surf bands too to see what type of bands we're actually competing against..."

"Well, we got the entire month to plan out what we need to do to prepare, Rihito." Taro said with a nod. "Today was just a warm up. Tonight will be our first day of preparation for the tournament, so let's give it all we've got, alright?"

The entire OC-5 gave each other a thumbs up as they go back to tearing down their set. Moments later during the tear down Kaito stopped by at the stage area where Lucia was the closest. Lucia spotted him standing beneath and dashed quickly to say hello.

"You guys really ripped like the surf is getting ripped by surfers like us!" Kaito expressed his enjoyment and gave Lucia a thumb up along with it.

Lucia chuckled humbly and answered. "Glad you liked our first sneak peek of our stuff, Kaito. Sorry I didn't get to sing today."

"Well, I heard you'll be singing tonight anyway so I can wait."

Lucia sat on the edge of the stage, facing him. "So you guys are planning to come to Pearl Waters tonight?"

Kaito nodded. "I didn't get my song from you today so obviously I'd expect a song from you tonight."

"You demand too much, dude. I thought _impatience _isn't part of a surfer's vocabulary." The two teens laughed at the remark.

Just as they were laughing Lucia caught the rather ripped zipper from Kaito's favorite sweatshirt and the laughter was over. "Hey..." Lucia jumped and immediately touched the ripped zipper from his sweatshirt, avoiding the halfway exposed body of his at the same time. "Your zipper's ripped... and you're wearing a sweatshirt with a ripped zipper? How did it happen?"

"Uh... love?" Kaito snickered with a slight humbleness along with the snicker.

"Are you planning to take it to a tailor or are you going to dispose of it?"

"Taking it to the tailor, man. I can't get rid of this sweatshirt--- it's one of my favorites."

Lucia chuckled and gazed at Kaito, observing his appearance, and slightly blushed for admiring his look with that sweatshirt on. "I can see why. The sweatshirt does look good on you."

"You got taste, girl." Kaito winked as Lucia let go of his zipper.

"You know, you can save a lot more money if you have your zipper fixed for free..."

Kaito raised an eyebrow with confusion in his eyes. "What do you mean _for free_?"

Lucia humbly answered with her usual smile: "I'll fix it for you!"

Again, Kaito discovered another hidden talent from this still-mysterious girl and added it in his personal _What do I know about Lucia Nanami? _List in mind. "You do tailoring?"

"You could say that. I actually sew handmade friendship bracelets and bead accessories. I make some part-time cash by selling them to people who may want to purchase them." Right at that point Lucia reached for her pocket and revealed her wallet.

"You sew friendship bracelets and bead accessories?" Kaito asked in curiosity. "Um... how long have you been making them?"

"Since I was seven or eight. My older sister Nicola bought me a sewing kit for a birthday present and I just started learning how to make them. Afterwards I turned it in to a side business--- custom-tailored and all that--- with only the best, high-quality materials too." At that time Lucia opened her wallet and took out a business card with the following information: _Friendship Bracelets and Bead Jewelry by Lucia Nanami_, with her cell phone number and an email address. She handed the card to Kaito.

"I noticed you wear a lot of accessories and some trinkets, Kaito. If you feel the need of a change with your accessories, try my stuff, okay?"

Kaito smiled and placed the business card in the pocket of his sweatshirt. "Thanks, Lucia. You're a life-saver." Right then he slowly removed his sweatshirt and handed it to Lucia for her to sew the zipper back in its right place. "You don't need to do it today. I don't mind waiting for a few days till you're done."

"Oh I'm pretty quick with sewing things back in their original forms, Kaito. Sewing a ripped zipper back on its original clothing doesn't take me that long. If you want you can wait at Pearl Waters when it opens or you can wait here while you're catching waves and I'll come by when you're sweatshirt's all brand new again."

Kaito turned around and noticed Michal and those same girls who attacked him earlier that cost him his sweatshirt's zipper were walking around the nearby area looking for him. The rest of his surf tribe were still out in the ocean surfing along with the surfer girls. He was tempted to go back to the ocean again but with the pursuing girls like Michal he had second thoughts.

"I think I'll wait in the restaurant, Lucia... if you don't mind."

Lucia blushed and chuckled softly. "No problem, Kaito." _No problem at all_.

They continued to chat with their usual topics from surfing in general to who's who in the surfing world and now the music of the OC-5. Somewhere nearby three strange girls had been keeping an eye on Kaito from the rocks with a pair of binoculars.

"There he is, girls... our beloved's twin..."

"Dang... he sure looks like him so much... but for some reason he looked a bit more boyish than our beloved idol..."

"Where is our beloved Gaito anyway? Ugh, sometimes I get mixed up between these two sometimes..."

"I know where Gaito Doumoto is--- he's out there in the ocean with that girlfriend of his..."

"Ugh... not fair! How can that girl just... march in our way to his attention and then steal his heart from us? She needs to die!"

"Hey, we're not here as murderers, okay? Besides, we need to find a way to get Gaito's attention and get him to listen to what we have to say..."

"I agree. The rivals will be arriving in town next week to train at the upcoming surf scenes tournament... the Seiyo Valley surf team is obviously the problem."

"I know what we can do to get his attention! We dance!"

"Dance? Idiot... he'd just laugh at us!"

"No, girl! I mean dance--- tonight--- at Pearl Waters! You know that band's gonna be playing tonight, right?"

"Oh... I see where you're getting at!"

Noon already struck and Pearl Waters was open for business. For the staff today was an unusual day business wise. They do not get as many customers during lunch hours as they do during dinner hours but thanks to the preview show that the OC-5 provided earlier today their music attracted the beach goers to having their lunch at Pearl Waters. The entire staff including OC-5 and the surfer girls were already at work, serving the customers in all different aspects.

At that time, Nicola was at her office where she sat with a blank face, resting at the same time. On her hands were two small trophies that had a gold-plated statuette of a surfer along with a surfboard and waves with it. She gazed at the inscriptions on those trophies and then gazed down at the open cardboard box. Inside the box were more surfing trophies from the smallest to the biggest. They were all fit to be displayed in a display cabinet but instead they were stored in the boxes for some apparent reason.

Along with the trophies were also certificates as well as a huge collection of news and magazine articles from various surfing-related publications from the most local to even the international. These articles though were all on one subject, which was the bearer of the trophies collected in the box.

"Ah, the good old days." Nicola murmured to herself with a small smile on her face while staring at one of the trophies in her hands. _Why did it have to end this way...?_

Just at that moment she heard a door knock and quickly placed the trophies back in the cardboard box, closed the box tightly and pushed it inside her small supply room. Then she fixed her composure and went back to her seat and gazed at her computer screen, which also had a browser open and reading various articles about surfing and upcoming surfing competitions in general.

"Come in!" Nicola called towards the door. The door opened and her aunt Taki entered. "Oh, Aunt Taki!"

Taki took a seat at one of the chairs in front of Nicola's desk and turned to her niece. "I thought we should have a little tarot reading sessions, my dear."

Nicola gazed right at her aunt while she quickly closed her internet browser. "Tarot reading? What's it for?"

"Everyone in Pearl Waters have been very surprised to see you present at the beach earlier today. For seven years you haven't even stepped on to the sand, not even at the beach across from us, and after all of that you're back there again. I have a feeling that there was something more to that than just you excited to see OC-5 play their music at the beach."

Nicola sighed and lowered her head. "Trust me... it's for that reason only, Aunt Taki. Why is everyone worrying about me all of a sudden?"

"We would like to know if you have gotten over your personal phobia with the coast, Nicola." At that point Taki began shuffling her Tarot cards and began their small session. "You used to love the beach when you were young--- I mean I still remembered that record-breaking moment you did when you were fourteen that made the surfing world rock in awe! That was the biggest accomplishment that you have made so far in your life, for me personally."

"Oh Aunt Taki... that exact moment was what I don't even want to remember... but it's difficult... not with all the memorabilia lying around..."

After shuffling her Tarot cards she offered the cards to Nicola and gave her instructions. "Pick two cards and place them on the table. Once you do I'll explain what they mean. Now, before that, a question to ask the cards: What made Nicola Nanami, who had been afraid of the beach for the past seven years, really made her decide to come out to the beach today?"

"Aunt Taki, is that even necessary?" Nicola crossed her arms and leaned against her seat, relaxing. Then she noticed the deck of cards different than the ones Taki used. "Say... those cards you're using are different."

"Oh, these are specially ordered, imported from Italy. It has natural elements, supernatural elements, and also images of every single Roman emperor in history."

"Wow... how much did you get them for?"

Taki raised an eyebrow at her niece. "Child, don't ever ask the price of any Tarot-related items. It's forbidden. Now, let's get started." She cut the cards twice from top to bottom, then spread the deck throughout the table. "Now, pick any two cards and place them on the table face side up."

Nicola followed what Taki instructed and placed her two cards face up on the table. Taki gazed at the cards to see what they were. "Hm... the ocean and a demon..."

"What's that mean...?"

Taki gazed at the two cards and contemplated for a few moments. Around three minutes later Taki scratched her head with a rather uncertain expression on her face. "I... I'm not sure... although this reminds me of that infamous incident... you know..."

"_Dainami-Oni_..." Nicola felt her teeth gritting with anxiety as Taki placed the deck together and decided to do another approach.

"Well, let's see what the third card on the top says." From the top deck she picked the top card and placed it at the bottom of the two cards Nicola chose, face side up. "The Roman Emperor Octavian..."

"What's that mean, Aunt Taki?"

"Hmm... this looks bad... very bad..."

"Well what is it then?"

Taki went back in to her contemplative mode and began to think of this for a few moments. About four minutes later she shrugged her arms. "You need to give me some time to get used to these cards... they're a little blurry to me right now..."

"Aunt Taki?" Nicola sighed heavily and lowered her head in embarrassment. "You come in here looking all serious with all your fortune-telling bits and you don't even know what these cards mean."

"Now be nice, Nicola. I'm very aware that no one in this building believes that I can actually predict accurately through my readings, but don't underestimate me."

"Aunt Taki, with the way you misread these things and couldn't even come up with accurate predictions with all the flops you end up doing, it's very hard for any of us to actually take you seriously."

Taki gathered her cards except for the three facing up and stood up from her seat. "Oh well. At least I tried. These are new cards anyway. Give me time to practice and get used to these..."

"Fine, fine..."

"Oh, also, Nicola. I suggest you keep those cards with you. In that way when I'm ready I can finally read what those cards really mean."

"Whatever..."

Taki exited Nicola's office as the young manager gazed at the three cards laying on her desk.

_The ocean, the demon, and the Roman Emperor Octavian... and these remind Aunt Taki of that horrid incident? I better watch myself before anything worse can happen to me..._

Nicola took the cards and placed them at the top drawer of her desk. She stood up from her seat and exited her office to tend to the open and busy restaurant and hangout.

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_

_Sorry for the slight delay (though probably it's not really that late for some of you) with the updating. A favorite uncle of mine passed away at exactly noon on 3/2 (Monday) of pneumonia (doctors pulled the plug from the life support system that noon simply because there was no chance of him surviving when his entire body system was completely shut down). I have to cope through mourning and grieving with my family at this point and forgive me if this chapter isn't satisfactory enough for you guys. I know some of you want to see some things happening, but I can feel that this is going to be a long fanfic, so don't fret too much. You're not missing anything. I'll do the best as I can to finish this after several attempts of writing fanfics for other series and failed to finish them._

_Well, without further ado, here are some notes:_

_#1 – **Alchemy Hour **is a surfer lingo that describes a surfer's content reaction after he rode the best wave he's ever captured. It wasn't just about "Yeah baby, that was the best wave ever!", but more in the lines of some kind of aura or atmosphere that the surfer experienced during his ride as something "magical" and "enchanting" that truly touched the heart and soul of the surfer._

_#2 – **Big Kahuna** is a familiar surfer term pertaining to the local beach's best surfer of all the surfers who surf that particular beach. He's not necessarily the leader of the surfers in that beach, but because of his awesome skills and overwhelming smooth rides and his devotion to the sport, he is considered the **big kahuna**. In the case of my fanfic, Gaito may be the leader of the surfer crew of Nijibe's beaches, but Kaito is considered the **big kahuna** of these beaches._

_#3 – **Gidget** is another surfer term for a surfer girl who is also part of a prominent all-male surfer crew. The word is derived from two words: girl and midget. She's not just any surfer girl, but this particular surfer girl is also a protègè of sorts to the coolest surfer boys of the beach. The term was also coined by Czech-American author Frederick Kohner, known for his **Gidget: The LITTLE Girl with BIG Ideas **novels back in the late '50s and '60s (which also had a TV series and a series movies based on the novels too), in which the title character was based on his pioneer surfer dudette daughter, Kathy Kohner-Zuckerman. I was fortunate to read this book because my mom had the original copy of it when she was in her pre-teens and I borrowed it from her years ago. I recommend everyone to read this book for all teens and even adults and experience the real deal beach life & surf culture during the early years._

_#4 – **Dainami-Oni **translates as "giant sea demon". Since I haven't revealed this in this chapter yet I won't reveal what this really is in this chapter's author notes either._

_More to come, obviously! Please keep the reviews coming! I really appreciate it! ^_^_

**_RATED T_**_ for the VERY mild language AND slight adult situations._

_**Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch** is © 2003 Pink Hanamori and Michiko Yokote. All songs used are © respected songwriters/owners. No copyright infringement intended._


	7. Giant Wave Monster

**RIDE THE WILD SURF  
a Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch Fanfiction**

by Adrimarie

**Giant Wave Monster  
**

Hanon screamed with huge delight after learning that Lucia had the possession of a certain dark blue cotton beach sweatshirt with trimmed faint white outlines that compliment the dark blue cover. At the front was a slightly ripped zipper loose. During her break she ran quickly to Lucia's bedroom where she visited the manager's younger sister after her hours of rehearsing with the newly-named band, OC-5, in front of the beach enthusiast public. Nicola gave the band a break for this particular day in order to decide which songs they were going to play or do a bit of composing when there was time. At this point Lucia decided to rest her hands from her guitar strumming earlier knowing she sews best when her hands are relaxed and not tense from other activities such as strumming her guitar.

Her daffy blue-haired friend marched to her room with excitement on her face, wanting to confirm what the rest of the Pearl Waters staff had been buzzing about during their breaks. Once she got inside she spotted Lucia sitting on her bed with her personal sewing kit in front of her while she was examining the sweatshirt's ripped zipper, determining how she was going to sew the zipper back to its proper place and which stitch she should use to make the zipper more secure to its place than its original stitch.

Hanon cheered and giggled happily once she spotted her friend with Kaito's sweatshirt on her hand. "No way! No way--- Lucia! You do have Kaito's beautiful sweatshirt! The staff wasn't kidding!"

Lucia gazed at the sweatshirt and smiled nervously towards Hanon. "But Hanon... this is just a simple-designed sweatshirt, but Kaito said that he loves this sweatshirt and couldn't afford to just toss it away because the zipper's ripped like this..."

"Those stupid fan girls... and that crazy girl Michal Amagi too--- I don't care if he's that hottie Rihito's sister... I have never seen a girl so obsessed--- that is--- a non-_one week _girlfriend type of girl..." Hanon frowned with her arms crossed. She took a seat at the edge of Lucia's bed, fixing her white blouse and her blue denim skirt. "You are like my hero now, Lucia Nanami. You did something that no other girl--- most especially his _one-week girlfriends_--- was able to do."

Lucia chuckled softly. "Well, I wouldn't know... I'm still trying to get familiar with him, you know..."

"Still! This is just your second day and Kaito Doumoto already trusted you with fixing the zipper of his sweatshirt! What on earth did you say to him?"

"Nothing much. I just offered that I would sew and fix his zipper of his sweatshirt so he doesn't have to waste money taking it to a professional tailor. I also told him that I have a side-business and gave him my business card---"

Hanon giggled and winked. "You told him about your friendship bracelets and bead jewelry accessories business hobby thing? And you gave him your business card too... you know that's the same as you giving him your phone number! You are seriously on a roll!"

Lucia smiled and blushed slightly, lowering her head a little. "I just hope he doesn't see me as another one of those girls who try to pick him up and hit on him... but I didn't get to sing him a song earlier..."

"I heard the surf tribe is coming over here tonight to see you guys perform. I'm pretty sure you'll have a chance to sing whatever that song is to him when you see him. Oooh Lucia you are one smooth girl! I seriously think Kaito Doumoto is absolutely smitten with you... he couldn't get away from you earlier today and that was already proof! You guys talked to each other several times too--- I'm pretty sure you guys are talking about each other now and what you guys think about one another, right?"

Lucia gave a slight shrug and answered. "Oh, we talked about surfing--- and OC-5--- and more surfing--- and his sweatshirt with his ripped zipper. That's about it... and his crazy _What do I know about Lucia Nanami? _List that he's building in his mind. I think he wants to be friends with me too!"

"Well duh, Lucia! Of course he wants to be friends with you. He'll do all he can to get close to you... and maybe start hitting on you too... and the next thing you know he may even---"

"But it's too early, Hanon!" Lucia exclaimed, cheeks blushing like raspberries. "I want him to get to know me... the real me... because I don't want to be a _one-week girlfriend_ to him. I don't want him to get tired of me, Hanon and then dump me like I'm soiled trash... I know I've dreamed of being with him for too long but... not just for a fling... "

Hanon chuckled softly and patted Lucia on the shoulder. "You silly. You're not the type to go for stuff like that anyway, but despite of that, you need to have Kaito see that in you... and he won't like... pick you up or do anything funny just for a dumb fling."

"If only he'd spend more time with me... he didn't seem to mind hanging out with Michal Amagi and whoever her friends were who did this to his precious sweatshirt... but as people say, friendship before love!"

Hanon nodded in agreement and her eyes slowly pointed right towards the sweatshirt. Right then she quickly grabbed the sweatshirt from Lucia and began to sniff it slowly. "Mmm... _Fly Ace_..."

Lucia stared at Hanon with a rather suspicious look. "_Fly Ace_...?"

"Kaito's signature cologne... so light... faint... and fresh... mixed with his own essence... what a man, Lucia... I swear you are going to be the luckiest girl in the entire world when Kaito becomes your boyfriend!"

Lucia sighed and lowered her eyes. "You mean... _if_."

"No. _When._"

"I know I've won his trust and friendship today but I don't think our newly-built relationship will ever get to... the _boyfriend _level right away... but somehow my heart is still hopeful... not just about the boyfriend thing but in regards to the boy I saved from drowning seven years ago. I still have yet to prove that Kaito is that boy."

Hanon sighed and lied down on her bed, relaxing. "You're still in to that thing with that missing boy you rescued from drowning when you were a kid? Lucia, you really need to get over that. Just face it. That boy isn't coming back to that beach where you guys first met and it's highly unlikely he'll even plan to come back. It's been way too long that you haven't seen each other... and besides, he may probably think of you as a weird girl who happened to save his life from drowning. I'm pretty sure he already said his thanks while you were sleeping and just walked off." She fell silent for a few moments to gather up her new thoughts.

"Still, Hanon..."

"Okay, let me ask you this, Lucia. What would happen if Kaito wasn't the boy you rescued? What then?"

Lucia fell silent at first, thinking of the real answer she would give Hanon. A few moments later she answered: "Nothing... I'll still stay with Kaito and... most likely... I'll move on too... and forget about that boy... since Kaito is here and that boy... isn't..."

Hanon switched her position so her body is facing down the surface of the bed. "Have you checked on any of Kaito's accessories for that bracelet you gave away when you were a kid today?"

Lucia shook her head. "Not yet... I didn't even get a chance because those girls kept dragging him away... plus I was playing with the band earlier anyway..."

Hanon, who was still holding on to Kaito's sweatshirt passed it back to Lucia. "Since you're fixing the zipper of his sweatshirt, Lucia, how are you going to give it back to him? Are you going to head back to the beach and look for him? Is he coming over to Pearl Waters later today? Or are you going to visit his house--- that is, when he's actually at home?"

Lucia reached for the sweatshirt and focused her eyes towards the zipper's rip. "He's coming over here later, Hanon. He went back home really quick to get a change of clothes. I think he's done surfing for the day."

"Those girls... and that Michal girl... I feel sorry for them, honestly." Hanon sat back up on her bed, facing Lucia. "It's like... they're going to die without Kaito near them, you know? I feel sorry for Rihito for having such a bratty sister like her..."

"Oh come on now, Hanon, I'm sure Michal isn't that bad..." Lucia chuckled while she analyzed the original stitch that was done on the zipper against the fabric of the sweatshirt. "If only she could hang out at Pearl Waters and see her brother play something hard-edged than conducting a symphony band during school days she'd really appreciate him more. Him and Taro are like... a lethal combination when it comes to music, both classical and pop tracks like surf rock. Best of both worlds, I'll say!" After a few moments of silence a content smile appeared on her face.

"Kaito really enjoyed our music earlier today, Hanon. So what if he didn't dance like everybody else did then. He was there up stage and I can tell he was enjoying it. I don't know how to describe it... it's like... he's totally _stoked _like how he gets really _stoked _when the breakers rise up to forty feet or something... It's like... total bliss!"

Hanon smirked and answered. "Lucia, you really need to stop using all that surfer slang in your speech sometimes. It's really funny how you and your brother are totally in to the sport when you guys don't even surf yourselves."

"Hey, lots of old-school surf bands, surfing journalists and columnists, and even surf photographers don't surf. They love to watch people take on the waves. It's exciting, Hanon! It's out of this world! And for some reason I could kind of feel what every surfer feels once they catch their wave to ride on. It's bliss, I tell you. Totally bliss..."

"Right... I gotcha." Hanon chuckled softly and changed the subject. "Say, Lucia, not to be all gossipy and all that but... have you noticed something weird earlier about Rina?"

Lucia began to insert the right colored thread through the hole of a small needle and set the needle ready for the stitching of the sweatshirt. She answered right then. "Rina? What about her?"

"Okay, you and I both know that Rina doesn't read magazines but earlier today while you guys were setting up she kept staring at this fashion magazine... and not just any magazine, _Posh Mode _magazine!"

Lucia gave a perplexed expression knowing the fact that Rina always looked down at fashion magazines in general and girls who are obsessed with them. "Maybe she was bored and... uh... asked some random beach girl to borrow one of her magazines or something..."

"Well, if that was true then tell me why she would still have that magazine and continued staring at it--- most especially the cover of the magazine--- during her break earlier today? She still has it even until now and she just couldn't keep her eyes off of it! And whenever one of us asks her what she's got there she'd play it all off and acting her usual cool self. I think she's hiding something, Lucia!"

"Hm... then again..." Lucia recalled what she and Rina talked about earlier during their short meeting. It was the time when Rina mentioned that she was most likely to compete in two events in the tournament. She already knew that the first one would be the surf band contest. The second event was the one she would not mention. "I wonder if that magazine has something to do with that second event she mentioned earlier..."

Hanon's eyes widened and gasped with anticipation. "Second event? What second event?"

"Something to do with the tournament, Hanon. I don't have all the details about that tournament. I need to ask Hippo about that---"

"Or ask Kaito, Lucia," Hanon winked with a grin on her face. "Come on now, you always gather all your surfing information from your little brother. You're here on a mission to win Kaito's heart here! He should be your new source of all your surfing-related needs, girl! The more you show your true love and enthusiasm for surfing he's going to seriously fall head over heels for you!"

Lucia laughed at Hanon's anxious chatter and responded. "It's not that easy, Hanon... but you make it sound so easy!"

"Well, imagine this, Lucia. You keep talking to him about surfing, the tournament, your favorite surfers in the surfing world aside from Kaito himself, you know, everything that you know! He'll be sure to really communicate with you openly. Plus, he already knows you don't surf, so time will come when he'll offer to teach you how to surf! Right then you show up with your best bikini ever--- or a wetsuit if the water turns out to be cold at that time--- he'll be more than willing to not just teach you how to surf... but... a whole lot more..."

Lucia shrieked in shock and covered her blushing cheeks. "No no no... that can't happen... that's just wrong... that's like a fling already... I'm looking for true love, not a _one-week _fling, Hanon! He's not just going to do that to a girl _hodad_..."

"Um... I don't know what a _hodad is_ but... not when the two of you are slowly falling in love with each other, silly! Anyway, you get another chance with him later today when he comes over to pick up his sweatshirt! Think about it! You can just go '_I love surfing so much! I can just live with it forever!' _and then Kaito would be all _'Oh Lucia... what about me? Don't you love me too...?'_" Right at that moment Hanon shrieked happily like a daffy little girl looking forward to a first date.

Lucia laughed loudly in amusement at Hanon's out of control imaginations while Hanon joined in the laughter. She began to sew a new and more secure stitch pattern on the zipper as carefully as she can at the right pace. Hanon, on the other hand, gazed around Lucia's room to see if there was anything she can look at. Then at Lucia's desk she found this month's edition of _Surfer Styles _magazine. It was the extra copy Hippo gave her last night. She asked Lucia if she can take a look at the magazine and Lucia permitted her.

In the meantime at Pearl Waters the girls had been very busy serving their customers their dishes and their drinks. Rina worked at the juice and coffee bar serving coffee, tea, and juice blends to those who only stopped by for their award-winning refreshments. Just as she was serving drinks to the customers at the front she came upon a group of four young and pretty teen girls in beach gear looking very curious towards her.

"Uh... may I help you?" Rina asked curiously at the four girls. Just by gazing at them they looked about the same ages as Hippo and Nagisa, but decided to act mature and cool as always.

"H-hi..." A raven long-haired girl walked up to the counter gazing at Rina curiously. "We have a few questions... and four Coconut Cappuccino Shakes..."

"O... kay..." Rina began working with the Coconut Cappuccino Shakes when the girl continued on with her questions.

"We were wondering if you know anything about Cole Seahart. She's the legendary surfer girl _gidget _of all time, known for riding a 65-foot monster wave during the Regional Surf Tournament Girls Division and winning the tournament too!"

_Cole Seahart? Where have I heard that name before? _Rina's eyes widened in shock to hear that particular name. She gulped nervously and turned towards her. "Well... I sorta... heard of her... why?"

"Well, the girls and I aren't from Nijibe but we're from two towns away from here. See, we're the new generation of Cole Seahart's devoted fans who still worship her like a surf goddess regardless of who's the best surfer girl ever to come at the this year's first annual surf scenes tournament. There's even rumors that even Cole Seahart herself may show up sometime at the tournament. See, we came here to meet her in person and you know... get to know her and... get her autograph and picture and everything!"

Rina chuckled nervously, wondering how to answer these four girls. The name Cole Seaharthad not been mentioned all around Nijibe for so many years that it was rather bizarre for outsiders like these girls to mention this particular name. "Well... I wasn't old enough to remember or even hear of her, but I'm pretty sure the vets around town may know of her."

Another one of the four girls stepped up to the counter looking more hopeful towards Rina. "Oh, if only the rumors are true that the legendary Cole Seahart would be at the tournament in two months... and if she were actually here since the tournament will take place here too... I mean there aren't as many surfer girls as it used to be in this region and... When Cole Seahart suddenly disappeared from the face of the surfing world the spirit of the surfer girls faded so fast that the female competition in surfing had completely disappeared... until today when they changed everything to a _surf scenes _tournament and they're reviving the all-girls competition too. I wonder if Cole Seahart will show up again..."

Rina finished the four orders and passed them on a tray to the girls. "Well, sorry I'm not much of help regarding Cole Seahart, but here are your Coconut Cappuccino Shakes."

"Thank you!" The girls take the tray from the counter as Rina continued quickly.

"Here's a tip. While you're here, ask around the beach peeps out across the street from here. I'm pretty sure they may know a thing or two about your idol. I'll even ask the people around here myself for you guys. Come back here if you find anything."

"Thanks!" The four girls left the juice and coffee bar area and to their tables.

Rina gave a small smile towards the girls and began to wipe the kitchen area when she spotted Noel passing by the booth. Quickly she ran to the open area and called out to her in a whisper. "Psst... Noel! Get over here really quick!"

Noel heard Rina's silent call and turned to her at the bar. She ran quickly to her and answered in whispers. "What is it, Rina?"

"Got a quick question. Do you know anything about Cole Seahart?"

Noel's eyes widened in shock and quickly invited herself behind the counter. The two friends hide themselves at the kitchen area and began their chatter. "Rina, where did you hear about her? No one is supposed to talk about her here... it's kinda like an unwritten illegal law in here..."

Rina raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "What do you mean by _unwritten illegal law_?"

"Well... it's sorta sensitive to talk about her in Nijibe, most especially here at Pearl Waters... Even our parents told Caren and me not to talk about her around here. It's sorta like a request from Cole Seahart's family to the mayor not to talk about her including her legacy and her set records or promote her around these places. Just where did you hear about her anyway?"

Rina looked around to be sure no one was eavesdropping and continued on. "Okay, these four girls from out of town just came by to order four Coconut Cappuccino Shakes and then asked me about Cole Seahart because they happen to be a _new generation _of Cole Seahart fans and they wanted to meet her and get her autograph and picture and all that stuff... I told them I don't know much about her and that was it!"

Noel sighed and swallowed deeply to calm herself down. "Wow... so you don't really know the story about Cole Seahart, do you, Rina?" Rina shook her head slowly with curiosity in her eyes.

"Okay Rina, here's a short version. Cole Seahart was a total _gidget_ of Nijibe, okay? Her parents were champion tandem surfers long time ago and thanks to her parents Cole learned how to surf at age six. Then at age nine she entered her first major surfing competition that was strictly for girls and even won that competition too. At age fourteen she had her debut at the Regional Surfing Tournament, which had both the boys and the girls division in it. In the girls division she did a whole lot more than just winning. She set a major record that even surfer boys weren't able to do in the entire surfing history, 'kay? When she paddled out at the ocean that day she was struck with bad luck when the wave that nature decided to challenge her was definitely the deadliest wave could ever face, almost near the same size of a tsunami, about sixty to seventy feet, they said."

"No way! That's like... suicide in style, Noel!"

"You said it girl. Anyway... She rode that wave like she was flying through the stars and was the only one who was able to have a very smooth ride with a wave that huge without getting wiped out! Ever since that day Cole Seahart became the _Ultimate Gidget _and a true legend to all surfers, most especially to the surfer girls. That's why little girls from about the coast worship Cole Seahart, not just because she was a girl but because of that serious record that she made that day!"

"Man... that's serious history in the making, Noel. It's too bad I didn't know all about this until now..."

"Apparently that day was also the last day she surfed altogether because a major tragedy struck right after her victory that killed two champion tandem surfing couples. It was because of that tragedy that Cole Seahart disappeared from the surfing world and that's also the reason why the spirit of tandem surfing here in this region, most especially in Nijibe, slowly died down. It was also one of the reasons why activity at the beach across from us suddenly died down too. Ever since then there hasn't been any tandem surfing competitions these past years until this year with that first annual surf scenes tournament coming up..."

Rina remained in utter shock to hear this short version of this Cole Seahart legend and gulped nervously. "Wow... that was... I've never heard of that and I've been living in this town all my life!"

"Well, that's all I can tell you about it, Rina. Promise not to tell anyone here, most especially Lucia and Hippo and most especially _not _the Boss! See, we're not allowed to talk about Cole Seahart or anything related to the _Dainami-Oni _incident at all."

_Dainami-Oni? I thought I heard Hippo babbling about that earlier today... _Rina began to think of what Noel had just explained as Noel headed back out to the counter.

"Hey Rina, I better get back to work. I don't want the both of us to get in trouble."

Rina waved at her best friend. "Thanks for the small info about this, Noel."

Noel hushed at Rina silently as she headed back to her post. Rina sighed deeply and rested at a stool in the bar. At the side somewhere was a stack of papers and documents where that _Posh Mode _magazine that Masahiro gave her earlier today, where Rina grabbed it and stared at the cover of the magazine once more. As she stared she closed her eyes and began to imagine how she would look like in those pair of bikinis on the cover. At that point she remembered Masahiro telling her that she may probably even look better than the cover girl on the magazine if she would just give it a shot.

_Hamasaki said he would take care of everything and all I needed to bring was myself..._

She sighed afterwards and turned back to the magazine cover again. _I wonder if I would really do make a... a hot... beach babe... for the tournament that is... Besides, it's not like I'm going to dress up like it after the tournament's over... right?_

At that time the surf tribe still continued to spend their days at the beach, still surfing the waves, give each other's turn to catch their rides after they were done, and still checking out any cute and sexy girl they could feast their eyes on at this particular strip. At this point Masahiro laid out his plans for Rina in order to prepare for the beauty pageant segment of the tournament to Gaito, Sara, Nagisa, and Seira. Kengo and Daichi were still in a daze playing _babe rank _games by giving every single girl who pass by them a score of one to ten, with one being _flat _and ten being _total hotness_.

"Wow, Masahiro," Sara chuckled while she rested herself against Gaito's bare body with her hands around her bent knees. "You've already planned all this way before you asked Rina Touin to be the beach babe entry?"

Masahiro grinned as he adjusted his eyeglasses after wiping his face off with his towel from his wild ride earlier at the sea. "You know me, Sara. Unlike most dudes I know, I plan everything ahead."

"Man, I envy you Hamasaki..." Nagisa sighed sadly and lowered his head. "Just one talk with the biggest tomboy in town and you already got her attention. What's up with that? I gave Hanon my sweatshirt because her bikini was just way too revealing... and she hasn't even given my sweatshirt back... and she's at work at Pearl Waters right now..."

"You're an idiot, Nagisa," Seira giggled while sticking her tongue. "That's a good sign, you know? Maybe she wanted to keep your sweater because she's probably realizing something new from you, you know. Maybe she's finally beginning to see you in a new light after you gave her your sweatshirt to cover herself up."

"Well then, proceed, Hamasaki," Gaito said, waiting for Masahiro to lay out his plan.

"Okay, check it. Sometime later this week--- depending on Rina's schedule that is--- I plan to take her out shopping."

Just as he was beginning to unleash his plan Daichi and Kengo laughed at the statement and joined in the conversation. "Whoa... that's just like... weird, dude!" Kengo laughed. "We've usually used to having girls taking us along to shop with them and treat us like slaves by carrying all the stuff they bought but... you're actually taking the tomboy Touin shopping?"

"Hey!" Sara and Seira exclaimed with glares on their faces. "What's wrong with dudes taking girls out shopping?"

Masahiro responded with a smirk on his face. "You know, I'm not very surprised you'd respond like this, Kengo. I've read the details in the beauty contest regulations and their recommended shops we were supposed to go are all upscale _for rich girls only _type of stores. Knowing Rina, we all know she doesn't fall in that category. My mission is to make her shine out against all those rich girls we know around this region because I know her beauty, in and out, can seriously gives us a competitive edge at that pageant. Plus she's got that cool exterior that makes her an untouchable, which is a true plus for our beach babe candidate. After shopping I can ask her to go wherever she wants to go, since we are going to travel by the cycle."

"Cycle--- you mean your motorbike, dude?" Nagisa asked curiously. "I get it. So you'll be taking her out shopping in style, right? Her being a tomboy having a shopping date with one of the coolest surfers in this region! I bet you peeps are gonna travel by the coast too... show her the world that we call home!"

Sara sighed with a smile on her face. "You really are a true romantic, Hamasaki... I wish my man would take me out traveling like that... with the beach breeze flowing through my hair while clinging on to my man for warmth... don't you think that would be fun and romantic... Gaito?"

Gaito startled for a few seconds after hearing what Sara just said and cleared his throat. "I, uh... sure... just as soon as I come of age and be eligible to get a motorcycle license... or driver's license for the matter... for now we'll have to stick with manual bikes... heh..."

"Idiot!" Sara quickly gave a slight push on Gaito's shoulder and turned her head away with a frown on her face.

"Yo, speaking of idiots," Seira interrupted with a smile on her face, "I just noticed that Kaito's not around... where'd he go?"

"He went to take his favorite sweatshirt to the tailor or something like that," Daichi answered. "He said he's done for the day catching waves because he wanted to come to Pearl Waters tonight to see the band... CO-2 or something like that?"

"OC-5!" The entire group corrected Daichi with enthusiasm in their tone.

"Um, right... OC-5... sorry!"

"You can't get the band name wrong, dude!" Nagisa exclaimed right at Daichi and Kengo. "They're going to be our surf band that would help us sweep the tournament, you know that? Once they do win the name of OC-5 will become a household name everywhere where beach life and surf culture is active!"

"Kaito seems to like the stuff OC-5 performed earlier today," Gaito mentioned with a smile on his face. "He didn't dance, sure, but he was up stage watching the band play. You know, I think he's finally opening doors to some of the qualities that made up who he was in the first place."

The entire crew turned their heads with perplexed looks towards Gaito wondering what he was talking about. "What do you mean by that, Gaito?" Daichi asked curiously. "Kengo and I have been best friends with Kaito since we were kids, man... what could possibly be something that we don't know about him?"

"Listen and learn, dudes," Gaito answered and he began his statement. "Our late parents... they were avid musicians... composers even... of classical music. They dug old school surf rock too since they're all music students and all that. Before surfing, music was our first love... especially Kaito. He was more of the musical genius than I was. But at the same time the parents were tandem surfers too. They were one of the best in this region's history. It was because of them... and one more... that Kaito and I took up surfing. After our parents died seven years ago, we just sorta lost interest in music and concentrated more on surfing. Our guardians then advised against us to surf but Kaito and I wanted to carry on the surfing legacy of the D-Couple. I guess we have a lot of pride with our family which was why we decided to do this. Kaito though was more passionate with music than I was and it was kind of a shock to me that he just stopped practicing music altogether. He was part of the Nijibe Junior Boys' Choir when he was little---"

Kengo and Daichi gasped in pure shock while Masahiro and Nagisa stared blankly. "Wait... we're talking about Kaito, right?" Kengo asked curiously. "As in four-time consecutive champion surfer and smooth player Kaito Doumoto?"

"But Gaito--- you're more sensible than he is. It'd be no surprise to us if you used to be part of the town's choir but... Kaito?" Daichi asked curiously, still not believing what he just heard.

"It's hard to believe, isn't it, heh." Gaito smirked. "There's a lot more to Kaito than him being the consecutive champion surfer or a borderline perv or a one-week girlfriend player--- well semi-player now since he hasn't had one for the last three months, but yeah. He used to sing--- and not just plain sing, but he sings really well! Sometimes I can feel that even when he tries to play it all off to everyone I can still hear his soul singing within him when he felt like it."

The rest of the crew fell silent when Masahiro made his statement. "Then again... he kinda acted a little weird last night. If he really loved music and singing, Gaito, then why the heck did he walked off when we listened to Lucia Nanami sing last night at the beach?"

Gaito continued on with his smirk. "Well, that's Kaito for you. When he falls in love with something no one expects he'd get in to, he'd play it off. I'm his twin, and remember, anything deep that he feels, I feel it too. Kaito fell in love with Lucia's song. The song somehow hit a spot in his heart. I admit I liked the song too but not as much as how Kaito felt with that song, you know?"

Sara interrupted the conversation with her own reaction. "Wait wait... you dudes heard Lucia sing some song at the beach? Did she invite you guys or something?"

"Erm..." The boys with the exception of Gaito began mumbling their own excuses which only gave Sara a suspicion that they were spying or eavesdropping on Lucia at the beach.

"You perverts!" Sara shouted at the boys. "Here you all think Lucia is some kind of a _loser _like those immature popular girls in your school and at the same time you've been stalking her? Lechers..."

Gaito shrugged his arms. "I'm not one of them, Sara--- they just dragged me along with them because everyone was worried about Kaito last night... and it was an accident when we heard the girls chatting at the beach... something about Lucia's long lost love since she was a kid..."

Sara stood up in slight disgust, releasing herself from Gaito. "I can't believe you dudes eavesdropped on Lucia and her friends. You guys are really sick! I mean okay, so it was an accident that they happened to be there while you dudes were hanging out at the beach. At least what you could've done was to show yourselves and say hi to them! That would've been more polite! I'm gonna have to say that the girls who were present there are Lucia, her two friends from school, and the three surfer girls, since all of them are from Pearl Waters!"

Gaito sighed and stood up from his spot and stood in front of Sara with his eyes on hers and his hands on her shoulders gently. "Sara, listen. It was all an accident. Sure we admit we check out girls a lot but we'd never go further as to eavesdrop or spy on them for our enjoyment. Besides, what those girls talked about had no importance on the dudes and myself. Though I have to admit that the best thing that we heard from that night was Lucia's song..."

Sara found the serious level through Gaito's eyes and sighed. "Lucia's song, huh... I sure would like to hear that song myself. I bet it was beautiful that you pigheaded surfer dudes were actually drawn to it!"

Gaito raised an eyebrow of suspicion while Sara stuck her tongue. The older Doumoto twin slowly slipped his arms around her and gave her a quick kiss. She accepted it and returned in the same fashion. At that time the couple's kiss were interrupted immediately with something unfamiliar and unexpected.

Those three same girls who were hiding at the rocks spying on Kaito and Lucia earlier suddenly appeared in front of the couple looking like starstruck fans. While the girl with the yellow bandanna around her began to shake in nervous, the older girl with dark red ponytail hair spoke to the couple.

"At last, we found you, Gaito Doumoto!" The girl cheered with enthusiasm on her face. "You had no idea how long we've searched for you! For a beach town Nijibe sure is huge!"

Gaito stared at the three bizarre-looking girls while Sara gave a slight snicker towards her boyfriend. "Sara... don't look at me like that..."

"Explain, Gaito... I'm very interested in our little situation right now, heh."

Gaito turned to the girls with suspicion on his face. "Uh... who are you?"

The bandanna-wearing girl stepped up out of her nerviness and answered him. "We're the final three remaining fans of the now-dying _Gaito Doumoto Fan Club_! We're now here to serve you, Sir!"

"Fan club...?" Gaito murmured in a startle while noticing Sara's snicker towards him. "Oh wow... I had no idea I had a fan club too..."

The third girl, greenish blonde hair and pale white as if she was half-undead, answered in a rather soft voice. "We are a different fan club from most fan clubs, Sir. You see, we aren't fans just because you're hot... we're fans because we admire all your accomplishments as a surfer and a soul supporter of the entire Rainbowside Surf Tribe... most especially the four-time consecutive champion, your twin brother Kaito."

The redhead continued from where the pale girl left off. "We are familiar with our fan club rivals, which is the heavily hardcore obsessed Kaito Doumoto Fan Club. They're such perverts and airheads who only see Kaito for how hot he is and not for his accomplishments. You see, it's thanks to you that made Kaito Doumoto look so awesome to the surfing world. Your fan club--- that's us--- had been dissolving ever since you began dating and..."

Sara quickly turned to Gaito, still with the snicker on her face. "Well now, isn't this interesting? A Gaito Doumoto Fan Club. I guess your twin isn't the only hottie around this town, hm?"

"Wait a sec, Sara, I'm serious... I never knew I had one!" Gaito sighed and then turned to the girls again. "So uhh... what are your names?"

The redhead answered first. "I'm Izuru. The bandanna girl here is Eriru. And this half-dead girl next to me is Maria---"

"Half-dead?!" The pale-skinned Maria shrieked towards the redhead leader, Izuru. "Just because I'm beautiful and a lot sexier than you, you just gotta hate on me now, do you?"

Izuru glared at Maria but decided to drop it. "We don't just watch your every single move in the surfing world, Sir. We also watch every single move of the rivals as well. We are very well-informed about this year's Regional Surf Scenes Tournament and which teams are going to participate in it. See Eriru here? She's got hookups with the tournament committee so she's able to gather some fresh info--- all to your advantage, of course."

Gaito still stood looking perplexed while Sara continued to snicker. "Well, Gaito, they're not just a fan club, they're hired spies too! At least with whatever information they got it'll help us prepare the right way for the tournament."

"Our latest info we gathered as of earlier today, Sir," Eriru answered with a cheerful tone. "I know it's like Friday today but all the participants who already entered ahead of time will be arriving here for on-location practice! Sir, the competitors are coming soon!"

"Well... I see... thank you..." Gaito murmured his response and right then was convinced that these three may be useful to their preparation's advantages. "I guess I'll have to introduce you three to the rest of the team..."

Gaito, Sara, and the three remaining Gaito Doumoto Fan Club, Izuru, Eriru, and Maria, gathered back to their spot where they meet Seira and the rest of the surfer dudes, sans Kaito.

A few minutes later at the _shack_, Kaito stepped out of the shower, all feeling fresh and new, after a long day of riding the waves at the beach across from Pearl Waters. He had a quick change while his boom box was on, playing the latest surf forecast news. As he gelled his hair and dried it with a dryer he heard something from the surf forecast news that was compelling in some way.

The forecasts stated the official date for the First Annual Regional Surf Scenes Tournament being the week of August 23rd, which was exactly two months from today's date. They even listed out the schedule of events from Sunday to Saturday. The schedule were as followed:

_**08/23**__: Opening Ceremony & Luncheon, Nijibe Central Beach_

_**08/24**__: Regional Surf Scenes Beach Babe Beauty Pageant, Kaigara Blvd. Sector 3 Beach_

_**08/25**__: Women's Division Surfing Championships, Kaigara Blvd. Sector 7 Beach_

_**08/26**__: Men's Division Surfing Championships, Kaigara Blvd. Sector 7 Beach_

_**08/27**__: Regional Surf Scenes Surf Band Contest – Surf Rock Instrumentals Segment, Nijibe Central Beach_

_**08/28**__: Regional Surf Scenes Surf Band Contest – Pop & Vocals Segment, Nijibe Central Beach_

_**08/29**__: Regional Surf Scenes Tandem Surfing Championships, Kaigara Blvd. Sector 7 Beach / Crowning of the Team Champions & Final Ceremony, Nijibe Central Beach_

_August 29th...? _Kaito's eyes opened wide in surprise to hear the dates and somehow a slight shiver came on to him. _Mom and Dad died that day... seven years ago..._

He quickly wrote down the schedule on an open notebook on his desk and placed that notebook in his small backpack. After he was done styling himself and wore back his accessories from his earrings to his necklaces to his bracelets he gazed to that white and blue shades bracelet he was staring at last night.

_My competition bracelet... guess I'll have to wear it throughout the week of the tournament... You haven't let me down for seven years already..._

He grabbed his backpack and headed out from his house. Once he got to the streets he made sure no one recognized him. For his safety from those nutty fan girls he wore a baseball cap and a pair of sunglasses. He stared at his shirt that had a printed beach design at front and made his way to Pearl Waters on foot. On his way he called his twin at the beach via cell to let the rest of the tribe know that he was on his way there but not at the beach itself. It was that time where their beach chilling period was done and it was time for them to get themselves ready for tonight's debut performance of the OC-5.

Once Kaito entered Pearl Waters he was immediately welcomed by Hanon, who was assigned to be the entry host for the restaurant that day. She chuckled happily and embraced him tight. "Welcome to Pearl Waters, Kaito! This is your first time being in here, hm?"

Kaito softly chuckled and said "I won't be here long. I'm just here to pick up my sweatshirt---"

"Not long?" Hanon frowned in disappointment. "But... why?"

Kaito released Hanon from their embrace and answered her: "I got some business to deal with the dudes about the tournament--- besides, we're gonna come back here later to see the band anyway."

"But Lucia's still in her room sewing your zipper back, Kaito! Don't you want to spend more time with her?"

"Are you trying to hint something, Hanon?" Kaito raised an eyebrow of suspicion while Hanon hooked his arm with her own. "Hey--- Hanon?"

"See, we're all busy and the boss gave Lucia a break so she can prepare for the performance tonight and of course, to fix your sweatshirt... and we're all worried that she may be lonely before the big night and all..."

Hanon quickly dragged Kaito forward through the entrance and reached the juice bar area where Rina was mixing drinks for the waiting customers. The archway at the back of the juice bar booth leads to the stairway to the second and third floors as well as the storage room for the juice and coffee bar supplies and equipment.

"Hey--- where are we going?" Kaito asked curiously as he was being dragged along by Hanon to the juice bar.

"Upstairs, of course!" Hanon giggled as she reached the door to the juice bar. "Third floor!"

Rina served the drinks she recently made to the customers. After she said her thanks to the customers she spotted Hanon and Kaito entering the bar. She frowned and crossed her arms. "Ahem... Hanon, what are you doing with Kaito...?"

Hanon heard Rina's voice and turned to her. "Lucia needs company upstairs and it's a good thing Kaito came by, hm?"

Kaito shrugged his arms and gulped. "I just came here to pick up my sweatshirt after Lucia's done sewing the zipper back---"

"Hanon, if the boss sees you fooling around during business hours you're gonna be in big trouble---"

"Oh hush, Rina," Hanon frowned. "There weren't any empty tables available--- we're pretty booked today--- so I'm giving Kaito the peace and quiet he deserves while he waits for Lucia! Right, Kaito?"

Kaito gave a blank stare at Hanon. "Uh... I guess..."

Rina sighed and decided to let the two pass. "Fine, fine. But hurry up, Hanon, and get back to work before the Boss comes by."

"I will, I will!"

By the time Hanon and Kaito reached the second floor the door leading to Lucia's room remained open. Inside Lucia was still stitching the zipper back to its original form on the sweatshirt. While she was creating the perfect _unbreakable _stitch pattern on to the zipper she accidentally pricked her middle finger with the needle when Hanon called out her name loudly from outside her room.

_Ow! Oh no... my finger's bleeding! _Lucia walked out of her room to find Hanon and Kaito at the living room area of the second floor.

"Kaito! What... what are you doing up here...?" Lucia gulped nervously without bothering with her bleeding finger.

"Lucia, what's with the '_what are you doing here, Kaito?' _bit? You should be happy to see---"

"Your finger! It's bleeding!" Kaito approached Lucia once he noticed her finger bleeding fast.

Lucia gulped and slowly backed away from Kaito. "W-wait... I... I was just heading to the restroom to patch up my finger--- I accidentally pricked myself so... no biggie!"

Kaito slightly glared towards Hanon. "It looks like your friend accidentally pricked her finger thanks to you yelling out for her..."

Hanon frowned and crossed her arms. "Kaito, be nice. I'm doing you two a favor! Now, I'll have to get back to work now before the boss finds out I've been slacking off again." Right at that time Hanon headed downstairs to head back to work, leaving Lucia and Kaito alone at third floor.

"Well... I guess we're alone again..." Kaito chuckled nervously with Lucia joining in the slight laughter.

"I... I guess... you'll have to forgive Hanon, Kaito... She gets overly excited about everything and when she does she---"

"I dated her for a week months ago, Lucia, so I know how she's like."

"Hah... hah... of course... right..." Lucia replied with a grin on her face to hide her embarrassment. "Well... I just need to patch this middle finger up--- I always wore a thimble on my pointer since the pointer is always the potential finger to get poked the most by a needle, but apparently I accidentally slipped the needle from the thimble to the middle finger because Hanon startled me, so it's bleeding right now. You just wait here, let me get a band-aid and---"

Quickly Kaito reached for his backpack and took out a First Aid kit. "Surfing is a dangerous sport so the team and I always pack ourselves with our own First Aid kit when one of our fellow surfers gets injured."

"Ah that's right. How can I forget about that?" Lucia approached Kaito as he reached for a band-aid and an antibiotic cream.

"Here, give me your hand."

Lucia blushed right then as she gave her hand to Kaito. Using a cotton ball he gently wiped off the blood from her middle finger. Next, he spread a bit of the antibiotic cream with a cotton swab on to her finger. Finally, he wrapped her finger with a band-aid. He made sure that he did not wrap it too hard so the finger will have its breathing room.

"Thanks, Kaito. It's perfectly snug."

Kaito re-packed his First Aid kit and placed it back in to his backpack. "No problem, Lucia."

"Sorry about all this, Kaito. Hanon shouldn't have brought you up here. I don't mind you waiting downstairs at the dining area and I'll just come downstairs, you know? But now that you're here, I'll just have to bring out your sweatshirt and my sewing kit so I can finish it while we... um... talk..."

"Well, up to you, Lucia. This is your place after all. I'll wait here."

"Be right back!" Lucia dashed to her open-door room and grabbed his sweatshirt and her needle set while Kaito sat on one of the break tables, waiting for her. A few seconds later Lucia came out with the sweatshirt and her needle set.

"Okay, here we go." Lucia sat at the chair across from Kaito. "Oh, you don't happen to have an alcohol pad, don't you?"

Kaito reached for his First Aid kit again and tore a pack of alcohol pad for her. "Here you go."

"Thanks." Lucia reached for the alcohol pad and wiped the needle. "I just need to sterilize the needle since it pricked my finger and I don't want your sweatshirt to be stained with my blood and all..."

_You're thoughtful and amazing, Lucia... _Kaito remained smiling as he continued to gaze at her. After Lucia wiped the needle with the alcohol pad she showed the new stitch pattern she used for the zipper to the owner.

"Here's what I did. The original stitch of your zipper here were sewn by an automated sewing machine. I could have fixed this in a few minutes with my own sewing machine but the machine's broken and it's a bit expensive to get the machine repaired so I'm doing this by hand. I learned this particular stitch pattern from some sewing website that I stumbled upon one time and I practiced it on some of Hippo's ripped shirts. It's very stable and quite tough and they last long too!"

"That's just... amazing, Lucia... you're a genius..." Kaito gave an honest compliment to the still-mysterious girl from his homeroom class. He was not sucking up this time nor he was using this as one of his pick-up lines. "And you saved me money too..."

"Always welcome!" Lucia grinned humbly and continued on with her sewing explanation. "I tested it a bit as I was stitching it and I was thinking of replacing the entire original stitch with this new one and redo the whole thing but I thought I should get permission from you for me to do that..."

"I don't know a lot about clothes and sewing and all but if you think your new stitch pattern is going to keep my zipper securely tight to my sweatshirt then I say go for it. I'll pay you for the extra work!"

Lucia shook her head and continued on with the stitch. "You don't have to do that, Kaito. I volunteered to fix your zipper and volunteers don't get paid. Besides, sewing other people's clothes isn't part of my job description, so this is all volunteer work."

"Still... I feel kind of greedy for letting you do this for me..."

"Don't be, Kaito!" Lucia answered with a smile on her face. "I'm doing this because---" _I love you, Kaito... with all my heart... _"--- because I want to support the Nijibe Surf Scenes Team. I know I'm competing along with you with the surf bands contest while you're competing for the men's surfing championships and since we're technically teammates, I think it's important we back each other up. After all, that's Surfing Etiquette Bill number six!"

"_'Always aid another surfer in trouble'_..." Kaito recited the particular numbered bill Lucia mentioned just now. "Well in this case, _always aid another surf scenes teammate in trouble_, huh?"

"You could say that, sure!" Lucia chuckled softly and continued on with the stitching. "So, you really want me to re-stitch the entire zipper then, Kaito?"

Kaito nodded. "If you can do it, Lucia, then please do. As long as you know how the zipper is going to be stuck and secure to my sweatshirt then go for it. Take your time though--- I know you have to rehearse with the band for tonight and even for the tournament and I don't want to be all demanding and all that."

"Well, if you insist, then I'll do it. It's a promise."

"Deal." The two teens linked each other's pinky fingers as their sign of keeping their side of the promise together.

"I'll be sure to have the zipper fixed before the tournament, Kaito. I'm pretty sure this sweatshirt is probably like your good luck charm or something. Whenever I watch you from afar during those tournaments you always wear it."

"Well... I wouldn't say that, Lucia. I've got... one special lucky charm that I only wear during tournaments. I try not to reveal it to the media and to the public because it's a very special and personal lucky charm. I don't want it all commercialized and have those crazy manufacturers make and sell the stuff I wear and make money off of it, especially this lucky charm of mine."

Lucia nodded, understanding what Kaito was trying to explain. "It's your best kept secret after all."

"Hey, that reminds me." Kaito began to change the subject. "You... you make friendship bracelets and bead jewelry and all that, right?"

"I gave you my business card, right?"

"Well... I told you about my special lucky charm--- I call it my _competition bracelet_--- well, it's a friendship bracelet or whatever they call it. I only wear it when I go out to the sea and ride my surf to win. I've had it when I was seven-years-old..."

Lucia felt a jolt inside of her once Kaito mentioned a friendship bracelet being his lucky charm, but what really triggered the jolt was how long he possessed the charm. "Seven-years-old...?"

"Yeah... I know it's kinda stupid but... it's a mystery to me. I know someone gave it to me because I don't remember having my parents buy it or anyone I know would give it to me... but I do know someone gave it to me. I asked Gaito about it if he knew but he had no clue either. I've been searching for the person who gave this to me for seven years and even until now I still don't know... And the more I look at the bracelet the more I think of the person who gave it to me. For some reason deep within I feel that it was a girl who gave this to me... and if it was then I've been yearning for her... and I just realized that you make these on the side so... um... I was wondering if..."

Lucia felt her heart beating fast and her hoping of finding her mystery boy from her childhood was unraveling at last. _Kaito... was it you who I saved seven years ago...? I don't want to jump in to conclusions now but I have to know... I have to know if you really are that boy..._

"Lucia... I was wondering if you knew... anyone else who makes friendship bracelets... in this town..."

"Oh..." Lucia sighed deeply in disappointment, hoping that he would make a guess or ask her if she happened to be the one who gave him that bracelet. "Well... it's... hard to say. I learned how to sew and make friendship bracelets all on my own and my usual customers who buy my stuff were all from Hippo's class and some of Nicola's friends. I also made some for the girls in the Pearl Waters staff too... except Hanon... she hasn't bought any of the stuff I made yet but I'm not expecting her too... heh..."

Kaito sighed in the same fashion and responded. "Oh... well, thanks anyway..."

"But... I'm wondering... I know this may probably be personal but... can you... well if you don't mind that is... can you tell me what that friendship bracelet looks like?"

Kaito was silent at first, wondering if it was safe for him to tell this girl about his best kept secret in winning his surfing tournaments. Then again her volunteering to redo the zipper's stitches on to his sweatshirt already proved him that she can be truly trusted. In addition to that, she was also part of the Nijibe surf scenes team along with him and will also be competing in the tournament in the surf bands contests. Why ever not?

"Don't tell anyone about this, Lucia... do I have your word?"

Lucia lifted her pinky again to offer him her pinky swear. "You have my word." Kaito linked his pinky on hers as his answer to her trust.

"Okay, here goes. The bracelet was a mix of colors... well one plain color, which is white... and various shades of blue... from sky blue to navy blue, I think. They were all mixed together randomly in one pattern... I know I'd sound all wimpy to say this but I have to admit... it was beautiful to look at. I've seen tons of friendship bracelets here and there at the stores and at the street booths but this one was like nothing I've ever seen at all. Because of that it felt like a thread-based bracelet like the one I had was very unique. It kinda makes me feel that I'm unique and one of a kind too. That's why I've been hiding it from anyone at random--- well Gaito and the rest of the dudes know about it but that's it."

Lucia gave a loud gasp and dropped the sweater and needle on the surface of the table. Immediately she covered her mouth once she learned of the bracelet's description. The description obviously sounded very similar to the friendship bracelet she left to the boy she rescued seven years ago. Just but the utter shock she found her eyes filling with tears. At the moment she could not think straight and her eyes were not even looking straight at Kaito's.

_Kaito... why won't you ask me if I was the one who gave that bracelet to you? Why won't you look at me like the way you look at all those _one-week girlfriends _you used to date in the past? Am I really that... unattractive to you? Even with this new friendship we've made not enough for you? Why am I crying like this? It's so embarrassing... oh man... now he's going to wonder why I'm crying and he'll suspect that I'm like all the other girls in this town too..._

Right when the tears fell from her eyes Kaito also felt a jolt within him. In his mind several images of his past began to appear. One of these images happened to be a time where he and a certain little girl were lying down somewhere still unknown, both were completely drenched in water. At that moment he found the girl lying next to her asleep but the tears still continued to fall from her closed eyes. He also saw that he wiped those eyes from the girl's eyes and once he did he noticed a mysterious white and shades of blue thread-sewn bracelet on the wrist while he wiped those tears and stared at it for a few moments. Not caring how he received the bracelet, he slowly took her in his arms so both can keep each other warm from the raging storm that was happening outside. Right as he had her in his arms he gently kissed her on the lips. Just before he then he also fell asleep.

The little teary-eyed sleeping girl whom he kissed at that moment somehow resembled the teary-eyed Lucia sitting across from him that made him feel like he was being delusional. He then returned to reality and had to react.

"What's wrong, Lucia?"

Lucia gasped once more and began to wipe her own tears with her hands. "I... I'm sorry... I just get emotional at random times, you know? Heh... heh... heh..." _Oh who am I kidding? Why am I playing it off? Why can't I just tell him the truth? I'm being an idiot right now..._

Kaito gave a more concerned look, which was something that never happened to him before when it comes to girls in general, most especially those _one-week girlfriends_. He even had Michal Amagi cry in front of him a few times in the past and this was regarding to her love and devotion to him but for some reason he just had no reaction to her either. But with a girl like Lucia Nanami? She was just a new friend and yet here he was actually caring about the tears in her eyes. Was it because she would not admit what made her cry?

"Was it something I said?"

"No no... not your fault... heh..." Lucia denied her emotional moment with the tears by giving a nervous laugh. "It's just that... your bracelet... the description and all? It reminded me of my very first friendship bracelet that I made when I first got my first friendship bracelet sewing kit from Nicola. The thread colors were the same as what you described and... well... I just got all emotional about it... it brings back special memories to me." _You have no idea how special those memories were..._

Kaito reached for his backpack again and took out a piece of facial tissue from his boxed pack of pocket tissues for Lucia's tears. Somehow deep inside he had the urge to wipe her tears himself since she already had her hands full with the sweatshirt and the needle and a bandaged bleeding middle finger. Just as he was about to Lucia quickly held the tissue from his hand.

"Thanks, Kaito..." Lucia smiled but this time somehow Kaito would not let go of the tissue. "Hey--- what are you doing?"

"Let go... and... stay still..."

Lucia let go of the tissue in his hand and gave a soft chuckle. "What... what are you doing...?"

Kaito used the tissue to wipe off the tears on her face gently and slowly as possible. "You've got busy hands, girl... stitching and a bleeding middle finger... and later you'd be strumming your rhythm guitar all night too..."

Lucia blushed heavily but still kept her grin fixated on her face to keep her cool as Kaito continued to wipe her face. "You... didn't have to do that, Kaito... plus I got a pick to strum my guitar so my bandaged middle finger wouldn't affect my playing... heh..."

"Don't be stubborn. You know, this is the first time that a girl who isn't hardcore-obsessed with me cry in front of me like that."

"Erm... right... yeah..." _He doesn't know... he can't see me being in love with him... One half of me says that's good news... for now that is... the other half of me felt rather sad knowing he'd never fall in love with me or probably any other girl for the matter of fact..._

While he continued wiping out the tears he found himself blushing slightly, which to him, was very uncommon. He always loved it when he was in control when it comes to girls. He never blushed whenever a girl teases and flirts with him or felt any form of a deeper emotion towards the girl, simply because every girl he got involved with always said the same to him. It was always about his looks or how hot he looked whenever he surfed regardless if it was only for practice or during the tournament or even on a tiny wave to a larger one. He loved to flirt and seduce and even with a single hello he already had the targeted girl wrapped around his finger--- hook, line, and sinker. Apparently it would only take him a week to get to know the girl and see if he would end up getting interested in her. On the other hand when did he began doing this _one-week girlfriend _project he had been playing for the past three years? Even at age eleven all the fawning girls already proved to him being the most irresistible boy in his class. He even beat his own twin brother Gaito, which to him was rather unusual because he always thought that Gaito would have the same effect on the girls around them. Then again Gaito never complained about their powerful appeal to the opposite gender. Kaito never complained either.

Why did he begin going through that ridiculous _one-week girlfriend _project? He knew on one part that the project was just wrong, but the other half made him feel more desperate. Like Lucia yearning for the missing boy she rescued seven years ago, he also yearned for the girl who rescued him those same number of years. Thanks to the sudden past memories that flashed in his mind while talking to Lucia about his _competition bracelet_ he came to conclude that the one who gave him the sewn bracelet and the one who rescued him from a possible death seven years ago were one in the same. He began the project because that was the only way for him to find this girl. Not just any other girl but the girl who brought him to this present. He felt like he owed his life to her and at the same time he also felt that the girl also had special feelings for him. Then again he had to live with reality as well. He had no proof if that girl--- wherever she may be now--- may be sharing the same yearning for him as well. The only key that would lead him to her was the bracelet he mysteriously received and since then he began to win so many surfing tournaments from the most local and at times international.

Three months before the present day he gave up on his _one-week girlfriend _project. Though it was a major shock to his fellow surfer dudes deep within him told him that this project was only a lost cause. He was ready to give up his innermost feelings for his _guardian angel_, as Gaito once called his rescuer, and move on with his life and let fate lead him to wherever he may end up. He planned to start moving on and forget his savior this summer but he never expected it would be this soon. Yesterday, the last day of school before summer, he spoke to Lucia Nanami for the first time in three years when they first ended up in the same homeroom class in sixth grade. He thought he was finally moving on with this new friendship he built with Lucia, but after he revealed to her about the _competition bracelet_ he found himself yearning for his guardian angel again. Why? It was a simple answer, he thought. He felt something a whole lot different in Lucia than how he felt with the other girls. Sure, there was Michal Amagi, who was not exactly the same as his _one-week exes_, but he discovered that she was on the same level of obsession towards him like all the other girls who admired him and whom he got involved with.

Somehow deep within he felt as if he had known Lucia for the longest time even if they first saw each other in sixth grade when they ended up in the same homeroom class. There was no proof that was factual but somehow he was slightly hopeful. Right now he could see Lucia's teary eyes resembling the closed teary eyes of his rescuer seven years ago. He really could not say that they looked alike from each other because he still had no proof of that. At the same time he just could not help himself but to think this way.

"Lucia..." He made his statement after a few moments of silence and after he was finished wiping of her tears.

"Yes, Kaito?" Lucia answered, still continuing to smile despite of the accidental tears.

"I know... we've only started talking to each other since yesterday... but after the moments earlier I feel like we've known each other for the longest time. Even knowing that we never really talked to each other in school I'm having these weird feelings about you..."

Lucia had to play things cool and not let her heartfelt emotions take over her and produce more tears. She had to come up with a good response that was unsuspecting. After a few seconds she found what she wanted to say. "Well... we've sorta known each other... or rather we've known _of _each other since sixth grade, so that should tell you why you get those feelings and all..."

"Well... I guess you're right..." Kaito, for the first time, sighed deeply in disappointment right in front of a girl. Normally he was always playing cool with any other girl and never sighed for a hopeless cause but once again he reacted differently with Lucia. "Sorry to mention it---"

"But..." Lucia gulped nervously and found her fingers entangled together and twiddling her thumbs to keep herself as cool and calm as possible. "I... I exactly feel the same too... with you... it's like... we've known each other in a different past life or something, you know? Heh... heh... heh..."

_Oh come on, Lucia, enough with the _"hehs"... _it's getting really old! But I can't help it... Kaito's like Prince Charming right now... his words... so deep... and heartfelt... I feel like I want to cry again... and maybe he'd just take me in his arms and let me cry on his shoulder instead of wiping off my tears with a piece of tissue..._

"Lucia... I... I think you and I should---" Just as Kaito was about to respond they were interrupted by the loud ringtone of his cellphone. Lucia sighed lowly while he gritted his teeth in disappointment. One of his personal pet peeves was getting interrupted in a special moment.

"Ugh, dammit..." Kaito cursed lightly and grabbed his ringing cellphone. "Hang on a sec... let me take this call."

"Sure. No problem." Lucia went back to her calm smiling mode as Kaito ran downstairs to answer the phone call. There was no one at the second floor with the exception of Taro, Rihito, and Hippo discussing about the songs they needed to play in one meeting room. He found the men's restroom around the corner and went inside.

When Kaito gazed at his caller ID at the front screen of his phone he frowned once more. He answered the phone right away. "What do you want, G? I was in a middle of a meeting!"

"_... at Pearl Waters, Kaito? Heh, why do I find that hard to believe?" _Gaito's voice spoke on the other end of the phone conversation.

"Look, enough with the questions, dude. What do you want?"

"_Quick meeting ASAP right now at the beach across from Pearl Waters. We just got the official schedule of the tournament. We gotta discuss how we're going to prepare for training in all sections of the surf scenes team. I was going to call the OC-5 band members to join in the meeting too..."_

Kaito shook his head and responded. "Dude, we haven't even formed the entire team yet. We still have yet to hear Rina Touin's decision to see if she's going to be our beach babe for the beauty pageant and most of all we haven't even found our tandem surfing partners yet!"

"_True, but see, we're nearing to completion of the tandem surfing division of our team, Kaito. I already talked to Sara a few minutes ago and she agreed to be my tandem surfing partner. Nagisa the hodad here still has yet to ask Hanon because he actually forgot to ask her earlier today when OC-5 was rehearsing outside..."_

From behind Kaito could hear Nagisa complaining through the phone. _"That's because I was doing my assignment in our plan, which was getting 0C-5 to be our surf band for the tournament, man! Why do you always make me look like---"_

Gaito continued on despite Nagisa's background complaints. _"You, on the other hand, Bro, haven't gotten a tandem surfing partner yet. At least Nagisa already knows who he was going to ask for his partner but you? You disappoint me, Brother. Seriously stop fooling around with other girls and actually find the right girl to be your partner!"_

"Dude, I was working on that! I still haven't come up with our team name too but I'm also working on that as well. Why are you being all bossy all of a sudden?"

"_Because I _am _the boss, Bro! Anyway, the meeting starts ASAP... as in right now. You'll have to postpone your little meeting to tomorrow or something... or later tonight when we watch OC-5's debut night. It'll only take a few minutes."_

Kaito sighed, knowing he would have to leave Lucia again. On the other hand Lucia had to rehearse with the rest of the OC-5 for tonight's debut night anyway. He would not want to stay this long to distract her, plus she still had to replace the entire stitch pattern of his zipper of his favorite sweatshirt. _I'm sorry, Lucia, but I have to go... but I want to talk to you more..._

After the call he headed back to the third floor where he found Lucia still working on the sweatshirt. Once he got to the table Lucia looked up to him. "Need to do some errands or something?"

Kaito's widened his eyes feeling Lucia may have read his mind in an instant. "Y-yeah... Wow, you're good."

Lucia smiled humbly at him. "Your cellphone tells it all and you had to head downstairs to talk so I figured it must be important."

"Sorry about that..." Kaito returned the humble smile. "But I'll be back tonight... watching you guys on stage."

"Glad to hear! Be sure you bring your dudes too, okay?"

"You still owe me a song."

"I know, I know. I've never forgotten. I'll sing you a song tonight."

"Looking forward to it!"

Lucia stood up once Kaito did and decided to escort him downstairs. Halfway at the second she broke the brief silence. "Kaito, I'm really sorry about Hanon dragging you up there..."

"Nah," Kaito shook his head. He turned to her and smiled. "After our small talk I'm kinda glad she dragged me to you."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better," Lucia responded with a soft chuckle along with it.

Kaito raised an eyebrow at her. "Hey, what kind of dude do you think I am? You actually believe all that gossip and rumor people been talking about me or something? Yeah, I'm not that dumb."

"Kidding! Kidding!" Lucia chuckled in amusement, with Kaito following the same reaction with her.

Once the two arrived downstairs they met up with Hanon, who was now taking the juice bar position for the time. She grinned happily once both Lucia and Kaito arrived.

"Aww... you're leaving already?" Hanon pouted sadly with her arms crossed.

"The dudes need me for a little meeting, Hanon," Kaito answered with a slight frown on his face. "And what's with all this _aww _thing? We're coming back here tonight when OC-5 starts taking over the stage."

"Well, I suppose you're right. Okay then, so how's your sweatshirt?"

"Kaito asked me to re-stitch the entire zipper," Lucia answered from behind Kaito. "I'll be glad to do that. In that way the entire zipper would be a lot secure against the fabric of his sweatshirt. I hope to have it done before the tournament begins."

"Well," Kaito interrupted with a grin on his face, "look at the time. I better get going or Gaito will kick my ass for being late."

The three teens waved each other goodbye for the time being as Kaito exited Pearl Waters. Lucia was about to head back upstairs to meet with the rest of the OC-5 at second floor when Hanon chased after her and dragged her back to the bar.

"What... what, Hanon?"

"Hee hee hee..." Hanon chuckled and nudged her on the shoulder.

"What?"

"Sooooo? You two seem to be having a ball for the past hour, Lucia! What did you two talk about while you were sewing the zipper of his sweatshirt? Come on... there must have been something else... intimate..."

Lucia snickered and released her arm from Hanon's grip. "Ahahaha... wouldn't you like to know, Miss Curiosity!"

"Oh come on, Lucia, you're killing me here!"

"Okay then..." Lucia giggled and answered. "We talked about his sweatshirt---"

"Well duh! I mean that's the main reason why he came here an hour ago, right?"

"Okay fine. Aside from his sweatshirt. We talked about surfing---"

Hanon sighed and crossed her arms. "What else is new? Aside from his sweatshirt and surfing!"

"The tournament's coming up in two months and obviously that's all he's gonna be thinking about, Hanon!" Lucia exclaimed with a fist tightened. "What else are you expecting? I mean I'm pretty sure he wouldn't just hit on a girl he'd only known for two days..."

"I'm pretty sure you guys talked about other stuff aside from his sweatshirt and surfing... I mean you two would end up like those weird geeks who only talked about one thing the entire day! What about your lives? Like... past lives?"

_Sorry Hanon, but there are some things that are worth kept secret. _"Okay, Hanon. We talked about his sweatshirt. Next we talked about surfing and the tournament and all that. Then we talked about OC-5 and how he and the dudes are looking forward to it and how I owe him a song and that I have to sing it to him tonight. We also talked about my bandaged middle finger---" Right then Lucia showed her hand with her pricked middle finger wrapped snugly with band-aid. "--- and we talked about my side business..."

"Now we're getting somewhere!" Hanon exclaimed happily as she came closer to Lucia and whispered. "So... did you check his accessories for that missing bracelet you've been babbling about for the longest time?"

Lucia shook her head. "Actually... I didn't ask him..." _More like his competition charm sounded similar to the bracelet I gave to that missing boy I rescued seven years ago... Darnit I know that boy was Kaito... I can just feel it in my bones! _"He was interested in the types of friendship bracelets and bead bands and other handmade jewelry and all that so yeah, we talked about that..."

"You really are hopeless." Hanon shook her head with disappointment on her face. "Don't say I told you so when Kaito starts hitting on a new girl for another one of his _one-week girlfriends_, Lucia. Just pray that he'd still talk to you. At least that should suffice for the time being."

"But Hanon, you don't understand!" Lucia sighed deeply with a few thoughts in her mind. _I'm not like you... or those other girls who became his one-week girlfriends in the past. I just want to be myself with him... and that's how I feel like whenever I talk to him. I feel like I didn't have to be someone else just to get his attention._ "... I still owe him a song... and he won't just ignore me without that song..."

Hanon was ready to respond to that when Rina arrived from the stairs. "Hey Hanon, it's not polite to gossip, you know."

The two girls turned to see Rina peeking downstairs. "Oh, hey Rina..." Hanon greeted in a low tone. "Why don't you lay off for once? It's not like you care about Lucia's progress with Kaito anyway..."

Rina rolled her eyes as she climbed downstairs to meet the girls. "Yeah, whatever Hanon." She turned to Lucia quickly. "Anyway Lucia, the band's looking for you. We need to decide what to perform for tonight. Tonight's our first night as OC-5, you know."

"Thanks for reminding me, Rina!" Lucia returned her response with a smile and turned to Hanon. "Well, gotta go rehearse now. See you later, Hanon!"

Hanon waved at Lucia as she dashed her way to the second floor with Rina, where the rest of the OC-5 were waiting.

Two hours later during the surf team's short meeting and OC-5's rehearsals, Taki arrived at the second floor of Pearl Waters to look for her nephew, Hippo. Once she got to the practice room she was in time that the band decided to take a break. She knocked on the door first before she entered the room.

Rina opened the door and greeted the somewhat matriarch of the Nanami Family. "Hello, Mrs. N... come on in, we're just taking a break."

"Why thank you, Rina." Taki smiled at the tall long-haired tomboy and found Hippo gently tapping the cymbals of his drum set with his drum sticks. "Hippo, you got visitors."

Hippo turned to his aunt with curiosity in his eyes. "Visitors...?"

"Yeah... that young surfer boy and that girlfriend of his---"

"Oh!" Hippo quickly stood up from his seat and ran to the entrance. "Thanks, Aunt Taki!" Quickly he dashed downstairs to meet Nagisa and Seira standing at the lobby area of Pearl Waters with Hanon accompanying them behind the juice bar.

Once Hippo got there Hanon chuckled. "They've been waiting for ten minutes, slow poke. Was that rehearsal intense or something?"

"Whatever, Hanon." Hippo rolled his eyes and turned to Nagisa and Seira. "Well...?"

Seira brought out a black folder from her backpack and passed it to Hippo. "Here you go."

Hippo opened the folder and looked through the documents inside it. Right then he snickered and nodded to the two. "Thanks for the printouts, dudes! I really appreciate it!"

"No problem!" Seira giggled happily. "You can always count on Nagisa and me when you need something, Hippo!"

"Heh... and vice versa." Hippo gave a wink on the eye as he was about to head back upstairs. Before he did Nagisa immediately grabbed Hippo's arm to stop him. "Wh--- what?"

"Hold it, Nanami! We want some answers!"

Hippo slowly turned to Nagisa with an eyebrow raised. "Hm...?"

"Dude, okay... what's up with you bugging us to dig up these articles about some town history through the net? Luckily Hamasaki had a laptop, USB net connector thing, and a _FedEx Kinko's _was only a block away from the beach for printing and worked our butt to search for the stuff you're looking for. Why didn't you look for them yourself?"

"I was rehearsing with OC-5 for tonight, dude," Hippo gave a slight glare towards Nagisa. "You can't expect me to do all that during rehearsals--- I only got two hands and my drum set is bigger than my laptop! And of course, the rest of us who live here are--- hello--- _working_!"

"Then why don't you wait until tomorrow, genius? You got the entire summer to do all that research and stuff. We're on summer vacation here! Why the hell are you doing all these research stuff about the town's history?"

Seira stepped in to hush the two bickering boys. "Okay, stop it, you guys! You're embarrassing everybody else here including Hanon here. She's probably laughing at you guys right now!"

Nagisa gasped and turned towards Hanon at the juice bar, who was trying to prevent herself from giggling. Then turned back towards Hippo and Seira. "Ugh... thanks for the warning."

Hippo sighed and invited the two to the stairs. "Come on, you two... I'll explain why..."

Seira shrugged and followed Hippo. Nagisa tailed Seira but before he headed to the stairs he turned to Hanon with hopes of getting her attention this time. "Hey, Hanon. You got some time later tonight? It's kinda important."

Hanon blinked her eyes in curiosity and answered. "What about?"

"Well, it's um... tournament-related..."

"Oh... tournament-related?" Hanon sighed in relief. "Okay! I thought you were gonna try and hit on me again or something... heh..."

Nagisa gave a slight frown of disappointment, but he still had hopes with Hanon. "Erm... I don't have time to hit on girls just like the rest of the surf team. But anyway... I wanna talk to you about something important... maybe like after hours?"

"After hours? Wouldn't your parents worry about you for staying up that late?"

"My parents are on their second all-summer honeymoon so I'm staying over at the Doumotos' shack, so I got all night!" Nagisa grinned with a wink of the eye, which made Hanon a bit nervous.

"Um... okay... sure..."

Nagisa gave a one-finger salute to the blue-haired girl and headed upstairs behind Hippo and Seira. Hanon slowly turned back to the juice bar and sighed nervously. _What is up with that kid now...? I hope it's not something that would embarrass me... why am I having bad luck with guys lately? Even Taro and Rihito don't even notice me and I know I'm pretty enough... I mean, I got Kaito to get me to be one of his one-week girlfriends... Oh this is awful... what am I gonna do?_

Once the three kids reached second floor Hippo reminded the rest of OC-5 in the practice room that he needed to have a little meeting with Seira and Nagisa in his bedroom for a bit. After their exchanges of greetings the kids enter Hippo's bedroom, complete with the second floor balcony area overlooking the ocean across the street with two telescopes and other photographic equipment parked there.

"Well, dude and dudette... welcome to my room." Hippo presented his very spic and span bedroom with its walls colored pastel sea green with hordes of framed images of the ocean and random surfing images at the coordinated places. Above Hippo's bed was a pastel yellow shortboard with pastel green and dark blue stripes around the surfboard's lining. At the nose was a yellow star with a purple flower at the center and at the tail are small calligraphic initials _C.S. _written on it. To Nagisa and Seira, Hippo's bedroom looked more like a mini-surf museum than an average boy's bedroom.

Nagisa stared at the walls while Seira stared at the surfboard above Hippo's bed while Hippo turned on his laptop on his lap and an 8-inch netbook at the side of his desk while moving his mouse on his desktop to reveal the working screen. He went to the official website of _Surfer Styles _magazine and in to its user forum.

"Man, Nanami... your room is _shweet_!" Nagisa complimented his bedroom in awe. "Your parents had gotta be the coolest! My parents wouldn't even let me put up a family photo on my room's wall... that's just retarded."

Hippo scrolled through the forums as he answered. "I don't have any parents, Shiroi..."

"Oh!" Nagisa covered his mouth while Seira spanked him on the head. "Ow!"

"Watch what you're saying, Nagisa! You didn't know that the Nanamis are orphans?"

Nagisa approached closer to Hippo with guilt on his face. "I'm sorry about that, Nanami... I didn't know..." At the same time he had another thought in his mind. _Just like the Doumoto Twins... they're orphans too..._

"It's cool, it's cool," Hippo shrugged the remark. "You didn't know so don't blame yourself."

Both Nagisa and Seira sat on their spaces on Hippo's bed, now facing Hippo from across. "Well... I'm wondering... what happened to your parents? Well you don't have to answer if you don't want to, Nanami..."

"Nagisa, stop asking personal questions!" Seira continued to warn him but Hippo hushed her.

"They're happily _down the ocean_, Shiroi," Hippo answered calmly. "I don't know a lot about my parents to be honest. All I know was that, according to my sister Nicola, they were true legends. I don't know what she meant by that since she hardly even talks about them to Lucia and me. But one day we're gonna find out more about who they were and what type of people they were. We were gonna ask our Aunt Taki but she was only the in-law to the Nanamis, so she doesn't know much about them either. She was widowed too so we don't really have an uncle related to the Nanami line, you know? And then there's our cousin, Taro Mitsuki. He was always helpful to us but he didn't want to talk to us about them too. I belong to a really messed up family who kept keeping secrets away from each other. What's up with that?"

"Okay, let's not get personal now... sensitive stuff here!" Seira chuckled nervously and began to change the subject. "Okay, Hippo. What gives? What's up with you having Nagisa and me dig up all these articles from the net earlier?"

Hippo opened the black folder and showed the various articles about the same subject. "Dude and Dudette, I bring you--- _Dainami-Oni_!"

Nagisa and Seira took an article and began reading to themselves. Hippo took a more prominent article that was gathered from the news archives of the _Surfer Styles _magazine website and paraphrased the text.

"Check it. _Dainami-Oni _is a wild and deadly ocean phenomenon primarily occurring at Eastern coastal area and it is very common at the coastal towns of Nijibe, Hoshino, and Karukotan. It was believed that the _Dainami-Oni _phenomenon was originated from Nijibe as it was commonly spotted at the town's local beaches, primarily the Kaigara Boulevard Sector 7 Beach---"

"Hey... Sector 7 Beach? Isn't that beach the one we're across from now?" Nagisa asked curiously.

"Yup. That would be it." Hippo confirmed and continued. "Ancient legends through these three towns believed that the _Dainami-Oni _was a sign of the nature gods' challenge to the settlers and prove their worth and devotion to the gods by commanding the seas to break and roll in ridiculously giant waves measuring sixty-five feet breaker measurement. In simple terms, peeps, if you see the ocean breaking crazy wild waves measuring about sixty-five feet or possibly larger than that, that would be the _Dainami-Oni_."

Nagisa and Seira stared at Hippo with rather blank stares, now wondering why majority of the town of Nijibe would not even mention about this particular ocean phenomenon. "So... let me get this straight," Nagisa began, "so this _Dainami-Oni _thing is actually.... a 65-feet ocean wave...? That's it?"

Hippo nodded. "Yup. That's it."

"Then why are a lot of people here in this town are too scared to talk about it or just flatly refused to talk about it when it's just a huge giant wave?" Seira shrugged with curiosity on her eyes.

"I'm about to get to that part, Seira." Hippo took another article and paraphrased from the text. "The _Dainami-Oni _only happens every seven years at late summer, in which surf forecast analysis predicted that the deadliest _Dainami-Oni _wave occurs late August."

Nagisa and Seira's eyes widened in shock. "Every seven years?"

"I wanted to research this because I heard about it from the surf forecast news radio. They started talking about it and it just so happened that the _Dainami-Oni _waves may occur during this year's first annual surf scenes tournament. This is going to be a problem to all the surfers, most especially if they haven't ridden a swell that huge."

"Wait... you're lying!" Nagisa exclaimed in fear. "Sixty-feet wave? I've never ridden a wave that huge before and I'm chickening out already! That's like--- suicide, man! They should postpone the entire tournament because of these conditions... I mean they even got a creepy name for it... _Dainami-Oni_? Sounds like a hungry giant demon hungry for human meat and blood, dude!"

"That still doesn't answer my question with the people of this town, Hippo! Why is it that everybody here is hiding secrets from each other? What happened here the last time that _Dainami-Oni _waves rolled in? I mean something huge must have happened at that time!"

"Well, this next article you peeps printed for me but never even bothered to read should answer your question, Seira." Hippo took the last article and went on with the paraphrasing. "Well, Seira, this is it. On August 29th, seven years ago, two things happened. The _Dainami-Oni _rolled in rapidly during the last day of the Regional Surfing Championships Tournament. Back then the tournament only lasted two days with the last day being the finals for all divisions. Two things--- one victory and one tragedy. In the all-girls surfing championships a record was set when fourteen-year-old Cole Seahart took the challenge to ride the _Dainami-Oni _instead of backing out and wait until the ocean conditions are a lot calmer. She rode the _Dainami-Oni _as if it was just a bike ride at the park--- very smooth, very fast, as if she just conquered the demonic wave just like that. That was the victorious event that happened that day."

"... And the tragedy, Hippo?" Seira asked curiously while Nagisa found himself in contemplative mode about what he was hearing from Hippo.

_Wait a sec... didn't the Doumoto Twins' parents died seven years ago on August 29th...?_

"Hold your horses, Seira, I'm about to get to that part." Seira fell silent and allowed Hippo to continue. "Check it. The tragedy of that day happened just four hours after Cole Seahart returned to land victoriously, the Tandem Surfing Championships were about to take place then. While Cole Seahart's record-breaking 65-feet wild surf ride was the central story of the all-female surfing competition--- and the entire surfing world in general, the tandem surfing competition had two couples who were the spotlights then, not just at that tournament alone but also in the tandem surfing world too. And here's the interesting part. These two tandem surfing couples--- both couples married and both couples had been the best of friends and rivals in competitive surfing--- have been head to head in every tournament they enter and both equally share the championship titles year after year. One of the two couples was actually Cole Seahart's parents, Tack and Tish Seahart. The other couple were Gen and Kim Doe. The tandem surfing tournament was done differently and two couples were sent out to catch their waves and surf all at once. They're not being scored based on speed but more on the artistic display and tricks that they can do while they remain on the board. Those two couples were placed together again to surf the waves. They paddled out and surf conditions were somewhat mild to moderate and once they found their waves they began their tandem tricks and artistry. Things were smooth then until the Seahart couple began to swerve a little bit, losing their balance, but they hung on anyway. Right then the judges at the boats began to see some signs of a major breaker uprising. The measurement just rose up from twenty feet to forty... fifty... and approximately sixty feet... and the wave was rolling in very fast... and right then everyone at the shore panicked and the entire atmosphere just went wild..."

Silence befell between the three kids as Nagisa and Seira stared blankly towards Hippo, waiting for him to continue. As for Hippo, just as he was paraphrasing the articles, his mind began to flash out past images which he had not thought of for the longest time. Not only that they were just images of the past but somehow those images perfectly described the articles about Cole Seahart and the two tandem surfing couples who lost their lives then.

All that Hippo visualized with those images was seeing a young seven-year-old Lucia holding him tight while screaming: _"Don't look, Hippo... don't look! We have to run! Run, Hippo, run!"_ Moments later another image came, but only this time both seven-year-old Lucia and himself as a five-year-old were being held tight and close to a weeping teenage Nicola with the words: _"Lu... Hippo... it's all my fault... it's all my fault... they're gone... they're gone..."_

Right then Hippo jumped back to reality and found Nagisa and Seira staring at him. "Are you okay, Hippo?" Seira asked with concern on her face.

"You just like... spaced out like that, Nanami..." Nagisa added, also with a concerned look on his face.

Hippo turned his head around and placed his hand on to his forehead to be sure that he was not seeing things or just daydreamed in front of his two comrades. "N-nothing... I'm good." He went back to the article again and continued on with the paraphrasing. "Tak and Tish Seahart... and Gen and Kim Doe... both were completely wiped out by the _Dainami-Oni_ in a matter of three seconds... the rescue team found their surfboards but their bodies were never found. It was late morning to early noon when the _Dainami-Oni _suddenly broke and rolled in fast that it scared the entire scene. It was because of the tragic wipeouts of these two tandem surfing couples that the spirit of tandem surfing in Nijibe just died out. Everyone became afraid of the _Dainami-Oni_... Everyone avoided the Sector 7 beach because of the _Dainami-Oni _and the tragedy that happened in that part of the ocean. Now I see why the beach across from us had been dead for so long... until today..."

_Wait a sec... Kaito and Gaito said their parents were tandem surfers who died at August 29th that one time... how come the couples' names are different? I didn't hear a Doumoto name from that article... Something weird is going on here... _Nagisa's voice spoke within him but decided to ignore the thought and began paying more attention to reality.

Seira gasped in shock and placed her hands on to her mouth while Nagisa gulped in fear once Hippo was finished with his paraphrasing. Hippo placed the articles back in the folder and closed it. He turned to the two and said: "Let's not talk about this incident anymore. It's just... too depressing..."

"I guess that's the reason why no one in Nijibe would want to talk about this _Dainami-Oni _thing in the first place..." Seira sighed deeply and lowered her head. "But still... they could have taught the newer generations about the entire history of this town instead of hiding everything from us... I mean we learn history so the past can be prevented from happening again in the present, right?"

Hippo sighed and lowered his head gradually. "I'm really worried about this tournament. Did you hear the live surf forecasts on the radio today? They just announced the official schedule of the surf scenes tournament. You won't believe the date the tandem surfing championships is going to take place..."

Nagisa's eyes opened wide in fear and answered. "No... you're kidding, Nanami, right? Are you telling me that the tandem surfing championships is gonna be on August 29th?" Hippo nodded slowly. "No... I can't do that! I... I volunteered to be in the tandem surfing champs with Hanon--- though I haven't asked her yet--- but... I'm kinda terrified with that _Dainami-Oni _thing... what happened to those two couples seven years ago... We can't have another tragedy like in two months, man--- and it'd be too much irony if the Doumoto Twins... oh man!"

"Calm down, Shiroi, chill!" Hippo hushed the rookie surfer. "Look, right now it's just predictions and signs. We'll just have to hope and pray that the _Dainami-Oni _surf doesn't roll in anytime during the tournament week. Pray that it'll be right after the tournament so we can sit back at the sands, relax, and enjoy the beautiful and powerful view of the sea. Just... just don't think about all this right now. But I'll be sure to keep an eye on it."

Seira patted Nagisa on the shoulder with a confident smile on her face. "It's still far off, Nagisa. We may never know how the water conditions are gonna be like once the tournament begins. But you guys still need to prepare for the tournament too. I mean we're aiming for a total sweep, right? This is for us and for our beloved Nijibe!"

"Thanks, Seira." Nagisa gave a faint smile while Hippo also patted him on his other shoulder.

Just as they continue on with their concerns they hear a door knock coming from Hippo's door. After the four knocks came a familiar voice. "Hippo, we're setting up at the stage now. Come on!"

"Be right there, Lucia."

Hippo, Seira, and Nagisa stood up from the bed as they exited the door, with Hippo being the last person to exit. Seira and Nagisa exchanged their greetings to Lucia as they proceeded downstairs. Just as Lucia was about to head downstairs Hippo immediately placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Lucia... wait..." Hippo called for his older sister.

"What's up, Hippo?" Lucia answered with her usual calming smile on her face.

"Okay, I got a stupid question but I'll ask anyway."

"Alright. Shoot."

"Um, Lucia... do you remember what happened seven years ago at August 29th?"

Lucia fell silent and began to think and recall whatever she may remember on that date. "I wish I can remember clearly, Hippo, but... I didn't want to remember it at all so I pretty much erased that day from my memories on purpose. Why do you ask? You can always ask Nicola since she was around fourteen or something seven years ago..."

Hippo shook his head. "No, nothing. Never mind. Let's just go and get our stuff set on stage."

Lucia shrugged her arms and followed Hippo from behind downstairs to the dining area.

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_

_Back from the funeral and as the grieving goes, I continued to write to overcome it. Notes below:_

_#1 – **Hodad **(or **ho-dad**) – This is an old surfer lingo term but from what I heard it's still being used today when needed. A **hodad** is a beginner/newbie surfer who still is learning to master the art of surfing. In the case of this fanfic, Nagisa would be considered a hodad because he's the rookie of the team, but on the other hand, every surfer, both seasoned and beginner, are pretty much considered hodads, one way or the other. In other words, the entire surf team including Kaito are all hodads._

_#2 – **Surfing Etiquette #6** – There are 10 rules (or "bills") in the basic **Surfing Etiquette Bills** according to prominent surfing website (Surfline). Surfing Etiquette #6 is, as Kaito explained, **Always aid another surfer in trouble**. A few of the surfing etiquette rules will be mentioned throughout the entire story, possibly all ten rules but we'll just see._

_#3 – Yes, there are **FedEx Office **printing shops in Japan! As of today they're still called **FedEx Kinko's** for the time being._

_More to come, obviously! Please keep the reviews coming! I really appreciate it! ^_^_

**_RATED T_**_ for the VERY mild language AND slight adult situations._

_**Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch** is © 2003 Pink Hanamori and Michiko Yokote. All songs used are © respected songwriters/owners. No copyright infringement intended._


	8. Surfer Moon

**RIDE THE WILD SURF  
a Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch Fanfiction**

by Adrimarie

**Surfer Moon  
**

As of tonight, Pearl Waters was now the hottest spot of all the surfer dudes and dudettes from _hodad_ level to _kahuna_ level. At that same night, anybody who was anybody in the Nijibe beach life were there from the legends to the fresh rookies. And because of all that, anybody who wanted to have a piece of the Nijibe surf culture spirit were there as well. The people were lined up at the door, waiting for their chance to get inside. The door remained closed at that time so that the Pearl Waters staff can re-arrange the dining area to something a bit more compact so there would be space for anyone to get up and dance while the others enjoy their tables to dine, hang out, and relax to the sounds that mark the endless summer of Nijibe.

Somewhere at the lines were the still temporarily-named Rainbowside Surf Tribe, sans Nagisa and Seira, in which they were nowhere near the closed doors. Those who were at the lines were becoming impatient, checking their watches while chatting on their cellphones, as they wait for the doors to open. The others began complaining to themselves as to why they were not as close to the doors as they were.

"Man, what's up with this? Why are we in this line in the first place?" Kengo began his first complaint while checking the time on his cellphone. "Dude, we should've had our meeting in Pearl Waters earlier instead of dragging Kaito out just to have the meeting at the beach..."

"Quit complaining, Kengo." Kaito answered as he stood in front of the tribe, tiptoeing to see the front and moved his head from one side to the other to see if the line was finally moving. "We're already here so shut it. Maybe OC-5 is preparing some surprise show or something which was why the doors are closed."

"Dang..." Daichi sighed with his arms crossed. "Why didn't we expect this, dude? I know OC-5 was out at the beach rehearsing and making us all get up and boogie and then asked us to see them tonight at Pearl Waters if they wanted to hear more of them but man... who would've thought this is gonna be such a huge turnout?"

Masahiro cleared his throat to join in the chatter. "If you dudes ask me, this is a good sign--- and not just a good sign but a _very, very good _sign! Why? 'Cause this is the OC-5 we're talking about. They'll be representing us in the tournament's surf band contest, and according to the schedule we heard from the surf forecast radio earlier today the bands will be competing for two days--- first day being instrumentals and second day being vocals. They need all of us to be there to see them, listen to them, and get all wild and hype with them in order for them to win a sweep for those two days of competition. If they can draw attention with a huge number of people like this then they have a serious chance of winning the surf bands segment of the tournament. Now I'm getting hyped myself!"

Kengo began to march his legs rapidly as if he needed to go due to an _emergency_, anxious to have the line move inside Pearl Waters. "Man... what's the hold up? Move already!"

Kaito continued to observe what was going on at the front when he felt a soft tug on his left arm. He turned his head to his left to find Michal Amagi cradling her arms around his with a smile on her face. She even dressed for the occasion as well. She appeared with a sleeveless pink flower-printed top and a white short skirt with a red flower print on the corner, along with a yellow plumeria flower on her hair. "Oh... Michal..."

"What are you doing all the way back here? I'm all the way at the front and I had some nice people save my spot there so I can get you! Come on!" Slowly she dragged Kaito with her to the front of the line right in front of the crew.

"Hey where are you going?" Daichi asked anxiously as Kaito shrugged his arms, letting Michal drag him to the front of the line.

"Snake!" Kengo yelled out while Gaito immediately slapped him at the back of his head. "Ow! What was that for?" Gaito did not answer his reason but instead shook his head right at him. Kengo crossed his arms, looking away.

As the entire line continued to wait while they wailed at the same time for the doors to open the surf tribe heard a whistle somewhere above them. Once they looked up they found Nagisa and Seira waving at them from Hippo's balcony with grins on their faces.

"Hey!" Kengo shouted at the younger surfer boy and Gaito's girlfriend's younger sister. "How did you brats get inside first before us?"

Nagisa snickered at Kengo while Seira continued to giggle along. "How? Unlike you skirt-chasing _hodads_, Seira and I we're just way too cool to wait out in the line with the rest of you!"

Kengo tightented his fist, glaring right at Nagisa. "When I get up there I'll be sure you don't get up once I'm done with---" Before Kengo was about to finish his statement he was hit again at the back of his head. This time it was the girlfriend of the one who slapped his head first. "Ow!"

"Get a grip, Kengo," Sara reminded him with a frown on her face. "Okay, so you're getting anal waiting out here. Well get used to it. No one gets special treatment at Pearl Waters!"

Kengo sighed lowly while Daichi and Masahiro chuckled. "Why? Why is everyone cruel to me tonight...?"

Meanwhile at the front of the line were Kaito and Michal, with the young hopeful girl clinging his arm with hers as if they were there on their first date. To anyone else around witnessing these two it was obvious what these two have in mind as individuals. Kaito was there to see OC-5 and Lucia singing a song for him. Michal's priority was winning Kaito's heart over her older brother's performance as a low-key surf rocker with OC-5. As for Kaito he was also cautious around girls like Michal. His gut was telling him that Michal may want to sit all the way at the back so anyone on stage would not be able to see them. But because he was anxious to see Lucia perform with her guitar he opted to sit at the front. On the other hand, the entire surf tribe preferred sitting at the front close to the stage. He knew Masahiro would want to see Rina on stage, Nagisa making himself noticeable so Hanon would spot him easily, Gaito and Sara may end up dancing at the huge space between the dining tables and the stage knowing they cannot withstand against OC-5's catchy music.

Another thing was new at this particular night as well. Michal had never been interested in visiting Pearl Waters that she often questioned Rihito why he would have a no-pay part-time job at the almost run-down coastal restaurant and hangout. She was always there to watch him in his orchestral concerts but was rarely there for his part-time surf contemporary band performances with the local beach bums since none of the surfer boys ever paid attention to the former _Pearl Waters Friday Night band_. Now that Kaito became infatuated with the same band but with a cooler name, Michal followed Kaito from behind.

"So... Michal... heh..." Kaito gave a slight chuckle seeing Michal clinging herself on to his arm. "I thought you hated surf rock---"

Michal looked up right at Kaito with a rather disappointed face. "Me? Hate surf rock? What are you talking about, Kaito? I love surf rock--- especially when my brother sings! My brother Rihito is a genius! He is one of the most well-versed musicians ever to exist in this town--- well there's his friend Taro Mitsuki too--- but you get the picture!"

"Right..." Kaito remained grinning and slightly turned his head away. Michal continued to talk.

"It looks like the entire town is coming here to Pearl Waters... I mean this place had always been kinda dead for a long time now--- even the beach across the street had been dead too--- No offense to Rihito and all but sometimes I thought he'd spend more time composing more classical concertos for his future events, you know?"

"And what about now, Michal?"

"Well, this summer is different! I mean... the tournament, Kaito! It's... it's all about the tournament... and music... and...winning! Rihito and Taro Mitsuki would enter these classical music tournaments and recitals and all and they win so many! If they can win classical music tournaments then I'm sure they can win this surf band contest thing within the surf scenes tournament these coming few months! Besides... earlier today I was watching all the other beach kids dancing with their iPod headphones on their ears and I've been... learning..."

Kaito raised an eyebrow, feeling rather nervous. "Learning...?"

"Yup!" Right then Michal took Kaito's hands around her waist and giggled. "In that way... you and I can take the dance floor tonight and dance... and make everyone jealous!"

"Oh... right..." Kaito found himself gritting his teeth while his mind was voicing out his real feelings. _I don't dance, dangit!_

"Kaito... how come you're being so distant tonight?"

"Uh?" Kaito was startled to hear Michal getting a little bit suspicious with him. "Distant? Naw... I'm in my _alchemy hour_ right now..."

"Silly Kaito!" Michal giggled softly and winked. "You should seriously stop with that _alchemy hour_ thing--- whatever that is--- I mean, we're here right in front of the entrance of Pearl Waters, anxious and eager to get inside and see OC-5 rock the house!"

"Rock the house... right."

Michal nudged Kaito and continued to stare at the locked door while Kaito can feel sweat flowing down from his head due to his nervousness with this young and demanding girl standing next to him. Lucky for him he had other things in his mind aside from getting nervous with her tonight. Two things, to be more specific.

_OC-5 and Lucia Nanami. That's right. They're the only reason why I'm here tonight._

Meanwhile inside Pearl Waters, the place was ready for a huge crowd to come in. The staff, sans the big boss Nicola, re-arranged the tables and even the décor from the rather dull-looking ocean artwork to real-life framed ocean, beach, and surf photography courtesy of Hippo's photography schools. Maki, Taro, and Rihito suggested that they should also put up old photos of the legendary Nijibe-based surfers throughout history but Big Boss Nicola would not approve for some unknown reason.

During the summer Friday night band performances there was always a short segment where one non-band staff member will have to sing one song while the band plays the music. That staff member was voted by the entire staff and Nicola would be the one to count the votes. Then from there she lists down the votes per non-band staff members from the most votes to the least votes. Whoever received the most votes will be the first to sing on the first summer Friday, followed by the ranks. Afterwards the list would rotate back to the first singer and so on. This particular summer was rather different. Most probable reason was because she was the newest employee hired Hanon was chosen to be the first staff member to sing a song tonight.

Unlike the rest of the staff who had cold feet to face the audience during their first time, Hanon was the most enthusiastic candidate of them all. Her personal dream was to become a famous pop star and possibly a fashion model all at once and just having this little singing duty at a local beach side hangout would be her first opportunity to shine. She already begun rehearsing with Taro with his piano with a song she already chose ahead of time.

"Well, what do you think?" Hanon winked after they went through the first run of her chosen song.

Taro smiled nervously and answered. "Well... I have to admit you got natural talent in singing, Hanon... but... don't you want to sing something... I don't know... something that represents who you really are?"

"But this song represents me, Mr. M!" Hanon exclaimed cheerfully and sat right next to Taro on the piano. "I gotta admit... you're really good with the piano! You got so much passion in it!"

"Well, I am a composer after all."

"Tee-hee!" Hanon chuckled and nudged Taro on the side. "Besides, it's summer! Summer usually means endless first-time romance with someone you've been in love for the longest time, you know?"

Taro chuckled along with the daffy teen girl. "Well, true, but most summer loves are what they are--- summer loves. After the summer ends, that's it. You'll never see that person ever again. I sorta don't believe in summer loves anyway. They're more like... seasonal flings. When the next summer comes you meet a new person and become your summer love. And when that summer ends you go on your own ways and that would be it... again. It's like a cycle and some cycles aren't always good cycles. That's why I don't really dig summer love on its own."

Hanon replied instantly with a solid argument. "But Mr. M, not all summer loves are just summer loves. Some summer loves become true love--- forever true love! I mean, I'm sure there's some people here in Nijibe who met their husband or wife during summer, right?"

Taro laughed lightly and nodded. "Okay, you win, Hanon. You're right about that too. In fact... I can name two couples in Nijibe who met during the summer that did become... forever true love."

"Oh? I wanna hear this! Tell me about them, Taro!"

Taro looked at his watch to check the time and shrugged. "Well, we still got plenty of time before OC-5 takes the stage, so why not..."

"Yay!" Hanon scooted closer to Taro as if she wanted to make sure she heard ever word, but she had other motives deep within at the same time. "So, who are they?"

"Before I do tell you about these two couples, Hanon, you gotta promise me something. This is very important."

Hanon's daffy expression disappeared and turned to a more concerned reaction. "Sure thing."

"I'll tell you about those two couples since it's just you and me in the practice room right now. But once after I tell you about them, promise me never to mention this to any of the Nanamis, okay?"

"Not even Big Boss?" Hanon asked curiously, referring to Taki Nanami, the current matriarch (of sorts) to the Pearl Waters household.

"Well, you can tell _Big Boss _about it. However, to the Boss, Lucia, and Hippo, please don't tell them or ask them about it..."

"Well, before you tell me about them, can you tell me why you're making me promise this? I mean don't they deserve to know about it? I mean it's just about two couples, right?"

"I know where you're getting at, Hanon, I understand." Taro answered with an understanding nod. "It's just that... one of those two couples happened to be their parents."

"Oh!" Hanon immediately covered her mouth. "I... I see... but still... I don't understand..."

"Those three... they get really emotional when someone mentions about their parents... especially the Boss."

"Well, okay... then best not to tell me then because I have such a big mouth..." Hanon sighed deeply and lowered her head. "Even I can't trust myself to keep secrets... but you know, speaking of summer loves, I'm having my high hopes for Lucia and Kaito!"

Taro gave a slight humble smile as his reaction. "Yeah... those two... I've only met Kaito once through Rihito since he used to be a full-time member of the surf tribe before he entered the conservatory down south to pursue music. He seems to be a nice guy. I don't see anything wrong with him."

Hanon continued on with her curiosity. "Hm? Why do you say that? I agree with you though about Kaito. He's really sweet to the girls when he wants to be, but most of the time he can be a jerk, a total player, and he's a perv too... Even I'm still wondering why on earth I ended up falling for him when my brief romantic relationship with him would only last a week... what the heck is that? It even makes me wonder why he's doing all these _one-week girlfriends _thing in the first place. I mean he started it when he was eleven-years-old.... _Eleven_, Mr. M! Don't you think that's way too young to do stuff like that? I mean, his older twin Gaito wasn't even like that when he was twelve. Is Kaito like... Gaito's evil twin or something?"

"He grew up quickly, I guess..." Taro shrugged. "Although... it's still a mystery to the Nanamis why Lucia had been crushing on him for like the longest time. Even when Lucia was only four, she already had been crushing on the kid."

Hanon raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Wait... but Lucia said that..."

"You're talking about her crazy childhood story about a boy she met by singing one night at the beach at that summer seven years ago and she thinks that Kaito was that boy she fell in love with?"

"She was seven-years-old when that happened, she said. I mean she's fourteen now but if you minus that by seven years, then that would mean she was seven back then. How can she had been in love with Kaito way before she even met and rescued that mysterious boy? I mean, she doesn't even know the boy's name for crying out loud! I think Lucia's seriously confused."

Taro fell silent at first, but still confident. "Well, let me tell you a bit of how the Nijibe surf culture was like seven years ago. I may be somewhat of an outsider since I'm not a Nijibe native, but I spend all my summers at Nijibe with the Nanamis since I was a kid, so I'm pretty familiar with the cool kids and the uncool kids at the beach. I was one of the older kids then, watching over the Nanami Kids while their parents were not present or they were out surfing with the _legends_ and all that. I also kept an eye on the younger kids too while their parents were busy. I was like a beach side babysitter to all the older surfers' kids, you know? But anyway, let me get to my point."

"Okay, I'm listening, Mr. M..."

"Well, for one thing... the Nijibe surf culture--- well, the surf culture of the entire region basically--- was a bit more... unique... than what it is today. The hardcore surfers back then and those who were members of an actual surf tribe all had nicknames. Even in the surfing world, all notable surfers always identified themselves with pseudonyms--- or _surf nicks_, as they called it back then. No surfer back then, even a rookie surfer, ever used their real names, both in the media and within their own surf circle. The surfers who were married and had kids gave their own kids their own _surf nicks _too in hopes that they will end up becoming surfers once they come of age. I wasn't much of a surfer but I befriended a lot of the local surfers and got lucky I made friends with them. That's how I met Rihito Amagi, by the way. He was still a rookie surfer then before he took over the Rainbowside Surf Tribe as the leader, and at that time he took in the current surfer dudes including the Doumoto Twins. Gaito took over the surf tribe after Rihito moved out of Nijibe to attend college. One day Gaito will pass the leadership to someone else if he decided to quit one day, but as of now, he's still fresh."

"Wow... _surf nicks_, huh... even the kids too... so you had a _surf nick_ too, Mr. M?"

Taro chuckled and shook his head. "Well, I had an honorary _surf nick_ but I never really used it since I'm not a surfer. It was more of a call sign thing within the surfer circle. Anyway, almost everyone in Nijibe who were hardcore surfers, whether they were lone surfers or members of designated surf tribes, all had _surf nicks_. That included the Nanamis and the Doumotos."

"Man, that's crazy!" Hanon chuckled. "So that means that Lucia and Hippo and Kaito and Gaito had _surf nicks _when they were kids? I want a _surf nick_! For some reason having an official one makes you look cool!"

Taro nodded. "Among those kids only Hippo kept his _surfer nick_. You know his real name is Hiroki, right? _Hippo i_s his _surf nick _given to him by the parents. He, Lucia, and the Boss already had _surf nicks _when they were all born simply because they're children of surfers. Hippo only kept the name because he liked it better than Hiroki. Strange kid."

"Then... that must mean Kaito and Gaito also had _surf nicks _too when they were kids?" Taro nodded. "Well, if that was the case... what you said about Lucia already in love with Kaito before that mysterious boy she saved story even happened... maybe they didn't know each other's real names then? They only knew each other by their _surf nicks_?"

"Possibly... We can't really say for sure, Hanon." Taro answered with a nod. "Every surfer or every surfer's kid knew each other by their _surf nicks _because they would always introduce themselves using their _surf nicks _instead of their real names. Even the surfing media back then always referred them to their _surf nicks _instead of their real names. The _surf nick _trend died down eventually because the surf culture was gradually dying since the _Dainami-Oni _tragedy..."

Hanon fell silent at that moment. One half of her was swooning at the handsome would-be music teacher, but her other half became overloaded with more questions. "Well... now it's alive again because of the weird stuff with the ocean happened at the beach across from us yesterday, plus the tournament too!"

Taro nodded in agreement. "Yup. They included a lot--- a beauty pageant for the hottest babe on the beach, a surf band contest, and most of all, the big major event--- tandem surfing."

Hanon gasped immediately when she remembered Nagisa asking her earlier that he wanted to talk to her and it was tournament-related. When she heard the first item Taro mentioned she began to blush. "Aww... Nagisa is so sweet... he's probably going to ask _me _to be the beach babe for that beauty pageant. That's so sweet of him!"

Taro chuckled nervously then, knowing that Rina was already considered to be Nijibe's entry to the beauty contest, though nothing was confirmed yet. "Well... good luck with that, Hanon!"

"Thanks! I'm keeping my fingers crossed!"

Taro gave a thumbs up towards Hanon and checked the time again. "Well, looks like it's almost time to take the stage. We better get ready."

"Right behind you!" Taro led the way out of the room while Hanon followed him. At the same time she began to wonder about what they just talked about earlier today.

_You're not telling us the entire story about you and that mysterious boy you saved seven years ago, Lucia... maybe the reason you don't know the boy's name was because you only knew him by his surf nick...?_

An hour later the doors to Pearl Waters opened by the twins, Noel and Caren, with smiles on their faces while the males whistled at them for their attractive beauty. The twins gave the customers in line a short introduction as well as the general rules for being there. After the briefing they let the customers enter in an orderly manner.

Michal was about to drag Kaito to the further tables near the entrance when Kaito quickly took her hand gently and dragged her to the front, right at the center table where it was large enough to fit the entire surf tribe. "Let's sit at that big table over there at the front!"

"But Kaito... the front? But I wanted us to be alo---"

"Better view of the OC-5, Michal. You want to see your brother, right? Well, we're taking the front table."

"Oh... alright..." Michal sighed sadly as she let Kaito lead her to the front table. Luckily for Michal her hand was held by her secret beloved, even if it was just a few seconds. They took their seat at the table while Kaito waited for the rest of the surf tribe to come inside. Once the team entered he whistled at them to take their spot at their table.

"Thanks for spotting us, dude!" Kengo gave a short pump-fist along with Kaito as the surfers take their seats. There were two empty seats left at their table for Nagisa and Seira once they come downstairs from Hippo's room.

Michal frowned in disappointment to see the rest of Kaito's friends sharing the same table as her and Kaito. She really did hope to have the table for themselves, let alone sitting at the back. Even if this was the case she knew she will not stop pursuing the hot surfer boy until she succeeded in winning his heart. Another downer for her was that she would have to compete with the rest of the town's females for the younger Doumoto twin.

_Why, Kaito? I want to be with you alone... Why do you always have to sit with the entire crew? Don't you wish you want to be alone with someone you really like at once?_

Coco stopped by the surfers' table with an invoice pad on her hand. "Well! Now this is what I call a surf tribe!"

"Dang straight, baby!" Daichi cheered with a thumbs up. "Once you're in a tribe you always stick with the tribe. This table's big enough for the entire tribe anyway, and if there aren't any tables big enough for the entire tribe you claim the tables next to yours."

"Right on. You said it. Too bad Noel, Caren, and I can't join you. The entire place needs serving!"

Sara chuckled and joined in the conversation. "Hey, Coco. Ever thought of hiring more people? I mean... just by the number of people who showed up tonight you're gonna need a lot of hands."

"Well, we welcome volunteers since this place isn't exactly loaded with money to pay all their employees, heh." Coco slightly smirked. "But I don't know what the boss is really planning. She'll be coming out soon to present the OC-5 and all that."

"Hey," Masahiro began briefly. "What's up with that boss of yours? I've been hearing from Caren and Noel earlier that your boss is kinda... what's that word...?"

"Sensitive?" Coco softly chuckled. "Yeah. You could say that. But she's a darn good boss, Hamasaki. She rarely gets mad and she always remained calm and cool even when there's trouble around. She's more of a coach than an actual boss so she helps us out whenever we have troubles with our jobs. She's also a motivator too so she gets us hyped when the chips are down, you know? I also like how she rotates people so we can all get familiar with everyone's jobs. We all chip in little by little."

Later that time Nagisa and Seira arrived from the back stairs of the juice bar to join the others at the table. When they got there they took the empty seats, exchanging hi-fives and fist-pumps and verbal hellos. On stage was Maki checking the wires and the sound system to be sure that the speakers around the area were working. The band were still at second floor finalizing their lineup for tonight's show.

The current assignment for tonight was the following: Coco and Caren are the only two waitresses who will be serving the entire dining area for those who wanted to order dinner courses, which would be a very huge challenge for the two girls. Noel and Hanon were assigned to be baristas at the juice and coffee bar, which was a lot more difficult knowing that the juice and coffee bar was the more popular spot at Pearl Waters. The customers sitting at the tables may not be there for the dinner course but were there to enjoy the beverages bought from the juice bar. Maki and Taki were assigned at the kitchen, but because of the overwhelming turnout, Nicola will be working with the two adults with the main courses. The other five: Lucia, Hippo, Rina, Rihito, and Taro, of course, will be performing the entire night as the newly-named OC-5.

"This turnout is just crazy, Coco," Sara said with a concerned tone in her voice. "And there's just the two of you serving around the dining area? Do you guys need help or something? I can work with you guys if you want me to---"

Coco hushed Sara and answered. "Don't worry about us, Sara. The one who will be having a hard time are Noel and Hanon over there at the juice bar. I mean sure, this place used to be dead but that juice and coffee bar became pretty much the heart and soul of Pearl Waters. A lot of people come here just for that bar. We make the best Virgin Pina Colada smoothie and Mochas around! As for you surfers and surfettes, just sit back, relax, enjoy the great food, which I think it's great because the Nanamis are the best cooks around. I don't understand why people don't pay attention to their cooking---"

"Hey!" From far away Caren calls out to Coco and the surf tribe's table with a frown on her face. "That's not fair, Coco--- I was gonna serve their table!"

"You snooze, you lose, honey!" Coco stuck her tongue at her. "Why do you look so desperate?"

"Um, okay, check it, Coco. There's these group of girls that are like total fan girls and they kept bugging me if their favorite person--- whoever the heck they were--- is gonna be here or something. I swear, there's so many empty-headed people in this town--- how on earth did we end up being town natives here, Coco?"

Coco frowned and shook her head. "Calm down, Caren. Now, talk slowly. Where are these girls...?"

Caren quickly pointed her finger to the back area near the entrance. Coco tiptoed to see where she was pointing at and spotted seven girls there--- four younger-looking girls about Hippo's, Nagisa's, and Seira's age, and three older-looking girls whom she had never seen before. One of the three older girls, Eriru, began to wave at the two waitresses with enthusiasm on her face, which somehow made the two waitresses swallow in nervousness.

"Can you serve them, please? You're better dealing with weirdos than I do!" Caren suddenly pushed Coco right towards the direction of those girls.

"Hey! Caren! What are you---" Just as Coco was about to resist she was already right in front of the table where these seven strange girls were sitting. Quickly Caren snickered and waved at Coco and dashes to the front table where the surfers were sitting.

"Hiyeeee!" Caren greeted cheerfully and winked at everyone on that table. "Coco needs to serve more--- deserving customers--- so I'll be taking your orders from here! See, I've got these menus here and Coco didn't even get any! At least I'm prepared! Here you go!" Quickly she distributed the menus to the table while Sara raised an eyebrow of suspicion towards Caren.

"What happened to Coco, Caren?" Sara asked curiously.

"Well, see, there's these group of weirdo girls who are like _on a pilgrimage _or something here in Nijibe and they came here to see OC-5 and... the more important people than the rest of us in this restaurant... Heh... Heh..."

"What girls?"

Caren pointed her finger to the back again where Coco was standing, talking to the girls. The entire surf tribe including Michal and Seira turned their heads to where Caren was pointing. Once the girls at the table were identified, Gaito quickly turned himself away from them, lowering his head so none of those girls would recognize him. Sara and the others at the table turn away slowly and all eyes were at Gaito.

"Why... why are they here...?" Gaito murmured softly and sighed. "Those girls had got to be the strangest girls I've ever met..."

Sara found herself grinning and nudging her boyfriend. "Well what do you know! Your fan club is here, Gaito!"

Kaito raised an eyebrow of uncertainty and asked curiously. "You have a fan club, G? Why have you been keeping secrets from me, Bro? That's just messed up!"

Gaito turned to his twin with a glare. "Kid, I didn't even know I have a fan club! They just showed up from nowhere earlier today! I don't get it--- why don't they just dissolve their fan club and join yours instead?"

"Ahahaha..." Kaito burst in to laughter as Gaito frowned with his arms crossed. "My, how the world turns, G!" Gaito remained silent but the glaring towards his brother continued.

Caren slapped the surface of their table, startling everyone at the table. "Well hurry up and get your orders already! The show's about to begin!"

"Dang, girl," Nagisa frowned with an eyebrow raised. "Is that how you treat the customers here?"

"Little dude, I'm gathering your orders right now 'cuz I ain't coming back to your table the second time, aight?" Caren exclaimed with a smirk on her face. "I for one would want to watch OC-5 strut their stuff on stage without getting distracted by work, you know."

"Hurry it up and give us the menus, girl! We're starving!" Kengo called out to Caren when Sara slapped him at the back of his head again. "Ow!"

"Could you be a little _nicer _to a lady just for a menu? Jeez... boys these days..."

Caren rolled her eyes at Kengo as she passed the menus to everyone on the table. "Today's special is Pearl Waters' own signature dish--- _The Seven Seas Coconut Shrimp Stew_! It's a fresh and authentic recipe passed on through the ancestors of the Nanami Family. Actually this is more of the Manager's Special because the Boss is the only one who knows how to cook this, and since this is a huge turnout tonight the Boss would be cooking along with the Big Boss and the Cook in the kitchen. We don't have this often in our menu because buying the best-quality shrimps has been costing us money so... they're usually served like once or twice a year---"

"Oh no!" Seira exclaimed from behind. "Are you saying this restaurant has no money to even afford the best quality shrimps for that family special dish?"

"Seira, shrimps in general are expensive," Masahiro answered in a calming manner. "If you go to any seafood restaurant around here the shrimps, lobster, or any type of shellfish are the priciest in the menu. Most people who can't afford higher-scale seafood dish aim for fish instead."

"Then I think we should all have the special!" Seira cheered happily. "In that way, you can have more money to buy more shrimps so you can have that dish in the regular menu!"

Caren chuckled and gave a nod. "You know, you may have something there, Seira. I'll let the boss know later and see what she thinks!"

At that time the entire band came downstairs and exited the back hallway of the juice bar where they exchange hi-fives with Hanon and Noel while serving customers their desired drinks. Just as they come closer to the dining area Lucia spotted the entire surf tribe and found Kaito with Michal next to him. Though seeing Michal continuously flirting with Kaito was one of Lucia's less concerns, just seeing Kaito and the entire surf tribe at the front central table already made her feel nervous.

"No... no no..." Lucia sighed with worry and hid behind Rina. "Why did Kaito and his dudes... and some dudettes... have to sit at the front?"

Rina chuckled and turned her head towards the rather shy and nervous Lucia. "Lucia, why are you hiding?"

"Well... it's just that..." Lucia lowered her head to gaze at her new ensemble: a faint pink and yellow naturally scented plumeria flower on her hair and a red and pink V-string collar no-sleeve _mu'umu'u_ dress that made her look like an islander princess on paradise. Courtesy of Hanon's fashion style, the nervous blonde looked radiant as if the ocean sun never set at the horizon. "It's just that... don't you think it's a little... revealing?"

Rina, on the other hand, wore a short-sleeved white collared top, slightly opened with a midriff on her torso and knee-length denim shorts. "Oh Lucia, you look really beautiful in that getup! And it's just your shoulders that's revealing. That's nothing to be embarrassed about."

Lucia sighed and turned to Hanon. "Are you sure about this, Hanon? I... I mean... do you think Kaito would notice me in this Hawaiian getup?"

Hanon gave a thumbs up while she served two shakes to two customers at the counter. "Lucia, every _one-week girlfriend _always wore the skimpiest and wildest bikini they could ever find--- even I had to do that--- just to turn him on! But now that I discovered about his secret preference of _low maintenance girls_, your lovely mu'umu'u really matches you, and your white slippers are just the most adorable thing! I know I'm just lending you my mu'umu'u right now but I promise you I'll go shopping with you and look for a better dress than that one!"

"I like it, Lucia," Rina said with a smile. "I'd like to wear one day but tonight's not the right time. Besides... I think I would wear it if I were to impress a certain boy I really like..."

"Wow, I never knew you were in to dresses too, Rina!" Hanon gasped.

Rina raised an eyebrow at Hanon. "Don't forget that I'm a girl too, Hanon..."

"Kidding... kidding..."

The boys wore colorful_ aloha shirts _with Taro wearing dark blue with white hibiscus flower prints, Rihito wearing dark green with red hibiscus flowers, and Hippo wearing white with a beach and ocean motif on it. Rihito took the lead of the band and gave a bit of pep talk.

"You guys and girls look really awesome tonight!" Rihito gave compliments to the entire band. "You guys really shine tonight with your attire alone, but let's shine out there on stage and get everyone up and dance on the floor, right? Okay, let's do this!"

"You guys rock! Go get them, OC-5!" Noel cheered from behind the juice bar, waving at the band. The entire band waved to Noel in return.

Rihito provided his tightened fist, offering the rest of the band to give each other pump-fists as another way for them to hi-five each other. The girls cheered, Taro applauded, while Hippo began rolling his head to ease the tense within his neck muscles.

Out at the dining area, Nicola arrived on stage. She received a huge applause and took the microphone to say a few words to the customers. "Good evening, everyone, and welcome to Pearl Waters! It's been an honor to say hello to many of you here, and if you don't know who's who here at Pearl Waters, then let me introduce myself. I'm Nicola Nanami, owner and manager of Pearl Waters. Thank you all for coming!"

The ones present applauded with positive cheers as Nicola continued with a smile on her face. "Now, I'm very sure you are all here for one reason, am I right?"

Just as Nicola asked the latter many of the customers who were present at the beach earlier cheered out repeatedly and simultaneously: "We want OC-5! We want OC-5! We want OC-5 ..."

Nicola hushed everyone and continued: "Well then, what are we waiting for--- we all want a piece of the OC-5, right? Everyone give it up for---- OC-5!"

The applause became louder right at the announcement as Nicola exited the stage to work at the kitchen. As she exited the members of OC-5 climbed up on stage and grab their instruments. Rina stood behind the keyboard with her sax sitting on its stand not too far from where she was standing.

Lucia was slightly nervous, not because of stage fright, but because of a certain boy sitting at the center table at the front. Right when she placed the strap of her rhythm guitar around her shoulder she immediately caught Kaito's eyes gazing at her with a faint smile on his face.

_Kaito... he's... he's looking at me... and he's... he's..._

Just as her eyes continued to fixate towards Kaito's own she noticed his lips moving slowly and softly despite Michal clinging on to him again from her chair while Kaito continued to shift to the other way to prevent Michal to go overboard. Lucia began warming up with a quick tuning of her rhythm guitar before the band performed.

"Nice..." Kaito grinned and his eyes fixated right at Lucia's on-stage getup. _You look beautiful tonight, Lucia..._

"Who are you looking at, Kaito?" Michal asked curiously, staring at his eyes staring right towards the stage.

"OC-5... who else am I looking at...? I mean they're there on stage right now!"

Michal turned her head towards the stage where she found Rihito quickly tuning his bass guitar and waved at him. Rihito got his sister's attention and nodded with a grin to her. She then nudged Kaito on the side and giggled happily.

"My brother looks so cool with that flower shirt and the bass guitar. Even peasant beach clothes do look good on him!"

"Peasant clothes? What do you mean?"

"Erm... uhh..." Michal gulped nervously and grinned shyly. "I meant to say... just in standard... beach clothes... Rihito still looks good in it..."

Kaito raised an eyebrow of uncertainty and turned his head back to the stage. "Right, Michal."

A few moments later, Rihito took the mic and began to hush everyone so he can have his words. "What's up, all you surfers, surfettes, hodads, and hodettes out there! Thanks for coming to Pearl Waters and we're glad to know that all of you remembered us from earlier today at the beach. Thanks again for giving us one more chance!" The customers applauded while the people in line at the juice bar suddenly gave their attention towards the stage. Hanon and Noel headed to the open area of the bar to watch the band on stage.

"Before we start off with our first track, we at OC-5 are happy to announce that after a little talk with our kick-ass surf tribe organizing the entire surf scenes team for Nijibe that we are glad to accept and represent Nijibe's surf band for the surf bands contest. There's two days worth so be sure to be there in those two days and give us your love and support as much as you can. Your surfers want a sweep, which means OC-5 wants a sweep, so if you all want us to sweep, let me hear you clap as loud as you can!"

The entire restaurant applauded along with positive cheers. Sara turned to Gaito with huge smiles on her face as she clapped along with the audience. "Wow, Gaito... Rihito Amagi sure knows how to talk to people and he's not even nervous at all!"

"Yeah," Gaito answered with a nod while applauding at the same time. "That's why he became a leader of the surf tribe a few years ago. I kinda miss him being the leader sometimes."

"Oh don't worry, Gaito. You've been doing a good job so far leading the surfers to the right path. I believe in you."

"Thanks, Sara. That means a lot."

"Always welcome, my love."

Rihito hushed everyone again as the applause faded. "Well then, now that we're all here, there's a lot of stuff happening tonight, so that means you can't have excuses to leave early just like that. Aside from the OC-5 working to get you out of your seats and topple the floor with all your moves, there's a lot a lot of events involving you people and the OC-5. First up, we have what we call _The Star Staff Segment_. Every week the Pearl Waters staff will vote to see which one of the non-OC-5 member staff will take the stage and sing a song or two. Every Friday night there will be one staff member who will sing us a song or two with OC-5 playing the song itself. Our first staff to sing for tonight is actually an aspiring singer who dreams of making it to the top..."

Just as Kaito listened to the first words he already knew who Rihito was talking about. "Oh no... Hanon...?"

Michal asked Kaito curiously. "Hanon? Hanon Houshou? Wasn't she one of your _one-week exes_, Kaito?"

"Y-yeah... that Hanon..."

"Is she a bad singer...?"

Kaito chuckled softly and shook his head. "No, I don't mean that! In fact Hanon has got one of the best singing voices I've heard."

"So what's with the sour face then, dude?" Daichi and Kengo asked their friend curiously.

"Hanon is an awesome singer... It's the type of songs she sings that I sorta have a problem with..."

Seira became curious all of a sudden. "What type of songs does she usually sing?"

Kaito gazed at the young girl and gently scratched his head. "Well... I think the songs that Hanon usually sings would be something you and Sara may relate to."

"Oh...?"

Nagisa smiled happily and stuck his tongue at Kaito. "I don't care what song she sings... I just want to hear the beautiful Hanon Houshou sing... Maybe her singing style matches the types of songs she usually sings, which is why she only sings those types of songs. Oh well, I'm looking forward to her singing up stage later!"

"Of course, Nagisa. Of course." Kaito grinned as they continued to listen to Rihito at the mic.

"... Next we'll have a dance contest. This was a last-minute idea we came up since some of the band members here noticed some of you peeps danced really well earlier today. We will be having a dance contest and we will be announcing the winners in three categories---"

Michal gasped in excitement and suddenly clung on to Kaito's arm. "Let's join that dance contest, Kaito! We'd be the coolest, cutest couple to burn the floor! And with my newly-learned moves we're gonna win it!"

Kaito slowly scooted his spot from Michal, looking rather nervous. "Uh... Michal... I already told you earlier that I don't dance---"

"Oh come on, Kaito, everybody else in your tribe already have partners to dance with--- you're the only one among the surfer boys who doesn't have a partner right now!"

"Because I don't dance! That's why I don't have a partner!"

"Please, Kaito...?" Michal gave a sad pout towards Kaito as he sighed deeply.

"Alright, alright. As long as there's prizes when we win, I'll dance with you."

"You're so sweet, Kaito!" Michal suddenly threw her arms around Kaito as the surfer boy gently pushed Michal away from him.

"Not in front of the people, Michal!"

Rihito went on with his rules: "The staff, both the OC-5 and the non-band staff will be judging to see all your dances--- some of them will even dance with you and if they ask you to dance with them, you have to dance with them. The recognition of the winners will be announced in three categories: Best Dude Dance, Best Chick Dance, and Best Couple Dance. We don't have any prizes for them because we all feel that all fun things should always remain just for fun and not for some reward. Besides, the real prize here is your participation and the happiness that you earn during your first night here at Pearl Waters..."

Kaito smirked and turned to Michal. "Oh darn. No prizes? That sucks. Sorry, Michal!" Right then he stuck his tongue at the younger desperate girl.

"Kaito, you're so mean!" Michal pouted sadly as if she was going to break down in to tears. Right then she threw herself on to Kaito and cried over his shoulder. He looked up at Rihito who just finished the dance contest portion of his announcements and found the older brother wink quickly at him. Kaito snickered and reluctantly patted Michal on the shoulder.

Rihito went on with the next event: "Sometime later the OC-5 band members will take turns singing at least one song, we also have the _Be the OC-5 Lead Singer for One Song_ segment when the audience choose one member to be the lead singer of our band for one song. It's way better than karaoke, folks--- we're talking about the real deal! Afterwards we also have the _Duet with an OC-5 Band Member_ segment where one member of the audience _volunteers_ to sing a duet with one particular OC-5 member..."

_Duet with an OC-5 member, eh? _Gaito gave a slight smirk as he stared right at his twin brother, listening to Rihito's mini-speech. _Interesting..._

"Last but not least we end it off with more music where we take requests from all of you! While you enjoy the music, enjoy the food too--- we're having a special too: Seven Seas Coconut Shrimp Stew--- only cooked and served once or twice a year, so if you're curious to try it out, better start ordering it tonight or you may never get a chance to taste it until next year!..."

Just as Rihito was about to finish his speech many of the customers suddenly ran to Coco and Caren to order that particular dish while those remaining on the tables looked completely perplexed at the particular situation. As everyone in the dining area were minding their own business the band were about to start playing their first track.

"Okay then! We're ready to go and enjoy your night! Let's kick it first with a little warm up--- a little instrumental called _The Wipe Out_!"

Right as the track began with Hippo's moderately-sped drums for the first few seconds, many of the customers already stood up from their seats and taking over the dance floor. Though the instrumental was a little slow, it was still worthy for a dance number in a rather sultry way. The ladies on the floor began to dance as if they were doing a lap dance in front of a man, which somehow turned some males on. In the case of the surf trie's table, Kengo and Daichi jumped off their seats to dance with random girls at the dance floor while the others remained on their seats.

"Those two... they really can't control their testosterone level, can't they?" Sara frowned with her arms crossed.

"What's the matter, Sara... don't you want to dance...?" Gaito smirked with a wink on his face.

"You expect me to dance to a song that slow in public, Gaito? Who do you think I am, some lap dancing stripper?"

"I never said that you have to dance that way... unless if you are trying to entice me, but not in public. You might entice someone else..."

"Yeah," Kaito snickered, overhearing the conversation. "I don't mind getting enticed by you. If G's okay with it, then it's all good with me!"

"You really are a pervert, aren't you, Kaito?" Sara returned the snicker while slightly cracking her knuckles at once.

Meanwhile at the kitchen, Taki continued to pass out the dishes on the plates as Coco and Caren came to pick them up and serve them at the tables. In the kitchen are Nicola and Maki continued to concentrate on their expert culinary skills and making sure that they follow the procedures as carefully and accurately as possible. The current instrumental surf track that OC-5 was currently playing at the moment somehow brought a slight chill to the two adults.

"Listen, Nicola..." Maki whispered. "And close your eyes... and listen to the music. Does it tell you something?"

Nicola followed Maki's instructions and closed her eyes right away. She let her ears do the listening and somehow the intensity of the guitar solos and the faint low saxophone sound immediately brought chills within her body. The song was truly haunting in many ways that led Nicola travel through time back when she found herself in her younger sister Lucia's age.

In that memory, fourteen-year-old Nicola found herself surrounded by the raging water. She had no idea where she was but regardless of the turbulent crashing sounds of the water she found herself gliding forward, not just in a slow speed but a very smooth sliding movement all at once. She felt like flying when she felt the invisible wind blow through her hair. At the same time she found her arms completely upward and in a perfect balance. She looked down to see where she was standing and detected its colors: pastel yellow with pastel green and blue stripes at the edges, and right at the front is a yellow star with a purple flower at the center. Just by the shape she already figured what she was standing.

_I'm standing... on a surfboard... but why...? Am I... surfing...? Why am I surfing when I don't even know how to surf...?_

Just as her wave was about to roll in on her she shrieked in fear and ducked herself lower while unconsciously used her toes to cling on to the edges near the nose of the surfboard. The method that she just used was known as _nose-riding_, a simple, common, yet effective technique for longboard surfers. She could not tell whether the surfboard she was riding on was a shortboard or a longboard but either way she knew she had to get out of there and reach the shore.

_Please... don't let me die... I beg of you... don't take me down... I just want to go home..._

Few moments later she felt the water was about to roll on to her, but because of her low ducking and her toes clinging on to the edge near the nose she found herself spinning herself in a 360-degree motion on the face of wave before the wave's power sent her launching up on the air just before the wave suddenly crashed at the bottom. Suspended slowly on air in a matter of milliseconds, she opened her eyes and found herself flying and floating right above air with no water rolling in behind her or even at the bottom of her board.

_I'm flying! This is unreal but... I'm flying!_

Just as she was was about to fall on to the water she made another unconscious move by grabbing the right edge of the board like a skateboarder would do when on air, bent her knees, and waited until she found the right time to land her board on to the water. Once she landed safely on the water she could hear cheers and screams from a huge number of people at the shore along with camera flashes shining all over the place, facing her at the same time. The girl smiled happily and just as the raging water carried her board a few feet close to the shore she stood up with a huge smile on her face and pumped her fist up high, showing to the whole world her victory.

Just as she touched the sand, the present Nicola suddenly woke up. She stared at the vegetables she was chopping below her and sighed deeply. "Maki... can I... can I ask you a rather redundant question?"

"Sure thing. What's up?"

"Have I really... changed... that much?"

Maki, who was in front of the stove, cooking all the ingredients in pans, turned to her. "Changed? In terms of what?"

"Oh I don't know... in all terms..."

"You're still the same Nicola we all know. That's what I know," Maki answered with a humble smile on her face. "The only change that I saw in you these past years was that you rarely smile anymore. You rarely jump up and get cheery whenever something good came to you. And most of all, you used to love the ocean. You even said one time those years ago that you would rather die than move away from the ocean for a long period of time. You haven't been on beaches for about seven years now, Nicola. And if you noticed that once a prominent name loses interest at something, the entire scene also lost interest. But ever since then you've been doing alright. Your siblings are doing alright. What's there to worry?"

"This whole surf scenes tournament that everyone in town's been raving about. It feels like... all of a sudden the seas are calling out to me again... I don't know why I feel this way but I do..."

"What exactly did you recall when you listened to the music the OC-5 was playing now?"

"It's _The Wipe Out_--- Taro wrote that song for me. It was the song that gets me stoked in to going out to the breakers and---" Just before she finished she realized something peculiar about what she said just now. She knew deep within that she and beach life did not mix, however at this particular summer it seemed to her that the beach had been calling her to come outside and meet each other again. Her recalling of one small memory of her early teens was a sign she believed in.

"That's why I asked you to close your eyes for a moment and listen to that song. OC-5 sure is playing the song real well. But yeah... those were great memories. I've watched you grown up in to a fine surfette, you know. But we all know that we can't always live our lives surfing forever, you know."

Nicola smiled humbly and sighed once more. "Why is this tournament making me remember the past I wanted to forget, Maki? My days at the beach are over. I have brand-new responsibilities now. That also includes you, Maki. You retired from the surf culture like I did."

"You know I had to, Nicola. I'm sorta still part of the surf culture, except I retired from the sport itself. Now I'm more of a supporter along with my brother, who wanted to open his own surf shop which included building, designing, and shaping surfboards. And I even volunteered to be your cook for Pearl Waters since you're a bit short of budget to even hire a new cook. I don't mind working here with you, Nicola. I only volunteered because I wanted to watch over you and your siblings and your aunt here, making sure you're alright."

"And I thank you for your kindness many times. Hopefully we'll be more profitable this year because of the large turnout today. With your cousin Taro permanently living here with you due to his new job as a teacher at Lucia's and Hippo's school, at least your job as a manager would be a bit more at ease."

Nicola nodded as she poured the ingredients on a container for Maki to add in the pot. "You're right. Well, guess we'll just wait and see what happens at the tournament, right?"

"Right on." The two went back to their duties while Maki has one thought in his mind.

_Not yet... I can't tell you about the Dainami-Oni prediction yet... it's too early._

Moments later the first event came when Rihito took the mic again: "Looks like you peeps are having a ball right now on stage, but I want you all to head back to your seats for our first little event. We now bring you our first segment: _The Star Staff Segment_! And here she is, everyone--- one of our newest additions to the Pearl Waters staff and is also a favorite barista of the juice and coffee bar--- everyone give it up for Miss Hanon Houshou!"

Hanon, in a sky blue sleeveless mu'umu'u attire with a white and pastel yellow plumeria flower on her hair, arrived on stage with her signature cute charm that can make any male blush in awe, certain girls shriek in ultimate cuteness, and others groaning through their stomachs for its sugary sweetness aura she was good providing. Many of the boys cheered and whistled at Hanon's sugary addictive pose while some of the girls stare at their boys with jealous glares.

Before she began her song she spoke a few words to the mic. "Thank you, all, and welcome to Pearl Waters! In case some of you don't know me by name, I'm Hanon Houshou. I'm a student and aspiring future fashion model and idol who digs her love for young love and beach life without making a fool of herself singing about something she knows nothing of---"

Lucia slowly bent towards Rina, whose keyboards was just next to her and whispered towards Rina: "What did Hanon mean by that?"

"You mean the part about not making a fool of herself singing about something she knows nothing of?" Rina asked curiously as Lucia responded. "Well, I gotta agree with her you know. She pretty much sings songs she knows nothing of... at least you and surf life blend together."

"She's making fun of me in front of Kaito and everybody... I can just feel it..." Lucia sighed while Rina hushed softly.

"Don't worry, Lucia. You just be yourself out there 'cause from my position I can see Kaito's eyes completely fixated at you. I think it's the dress that's getting to him... I can tell he is being turned on right now..."

"Rina..." Lucia blushed heavily as she headed back to her position while Hanon continued to talk.

"Well, anyways--- I don't wanna talk anymore 'cause I came here to sing! So everybody get ready for meeee!"

Kaito shook his head and lowered his face downward to hide his face from Hanon. _Oh man... someone wake me up when she's done singing..._

The music started with a very slow tempo which already indicated that it was a love song that Hanon was going to sing, but what type of love song are we talking about here? Right when the cue time came, Hanon lifted the microphone and began to sing:

_Angel... Angel..._

_So sweet and true_

_Whoooaaa Angel... Angel...._

_How I love you_

_When you look at me so lovingly_

_I tremble in my shoes_

_If there's anything you ever want of me_

_Call me, how could I refuse?_

_Whoooaaa Angel... Angel..._

_You'll always be_

_My only angel... Angel..._

_Eternally_

_And if love is a chain that binds us_

_I hope I'm never free_

'_Cause angel, whoooaaa angel_

_You make a heaven on earth for me!_

_Whooaaa Angel..._

_You make a heaven on earth for me!_

Though it was a relatively short song it was more than enough for Kaito to get annoyed by the sugarcoated song, but despite of that, Hanon received a loud applause with Nagisa standing up, clapping his hands as hard as he can. Unfortunately for Kaito, Hanon was a hit on her first try.

"How about an encore?" Hanon winked and blew kisses to the audience when both Rihito and Hippo gently escorted Hanon out of the stage before things can get out of control. "Hey--- hey! I wanna sing some more!"

"One song, Hanon... that's the rule," Hippo reminded her.

"We need to get going with the other events... you'll have a chance later for an encore if the audience wants an encore from you, okay?" Rihito patted Hanon once she reached the juice bar area.

"But Rihito..."

"Later, okay?" Rihito and Hippo waved at Hanon as she reluctantly headed back to the juice bar.

Once Hanon got behind the juice bar again she was welcomed back with a quick applause from Noel with a smile on her face. "That was awesome, Hanon! I love the song! I can just sing it the way you'd sing it but I think Caren would be a much better singer for that type of song... heh..."

Hanon sighed and lowered her head. "Those meanies... the audience likes me! I'm sure they want me to have an encore!"

"Oh, don't worry about that, Hanon. You'll probably have a chance to sing again later, who knows?"

"Oh, poo..." Hanon sighed and took her apron to wear around her once more, getting back to work at the bar.

Meanwhile at the table Nagisa remained smiling and his eyes fixated towards Hanon as she was escorted out by two of the OC-5 band members. After she headed back to the juice bar the young surfer turned his head and began to pound his fist numerous times on the table.

"Nagisa, what's wrong with you? Stop that!" Seira held his fist to keep him from pounding on the table continuously.

"Seira--- it's Hanon... she's... she's... she's gotten to me... Girl cuteness is my weakness! That's it! I'm going up to Hanon right now and ask her to be my tandem surfer partner!" Nagisa moaned softly as he was tempted to continue to pound the table with that one fist.

From out of the blue, Kaito, who fell asleep during Hanon's singing, was startled by the Nagisa fist-pounding that immediately woke him up. "Is it over yet?"

Michal giggled and gazed towards Kaito. "It's been over a minute ago. You can wake up now!"

Kaito sighed in relief as Michal continued. "I think Hanon Houshou looked really cute there... and she sounds so cute when she sings... and it's not like she can't carry a tune... and I love the song! She's right, you know..."

"Right about what?"

"Right about you being such an _angel_..." Michal giggled and leaned her head against his side and began to sing a verse from the song: "_So sweet and true... Whooaaa Angel... Angel... How I love you..._"

Kaito raised an eyebrow at Michal with a slight disgust on the _angel _remark. Before he could say his reaction he found Caren with a huge tray of the Seven Seas Coconut Shrimp dinner meal coming their way. "Hey! Our coconut shrimp dinner's here! Yeah baby! I'm starving!"

"You're so mean, Kaito..." Michal sighed sadly again while the rest of the surf tribe cheered happily as Caren approached them with the tray.

Rihito took the mic once more and began his next announcement: "Well, we'll be having an hour intermission for tonight's show because we're all starving for dinner... and while the lovely Caren and Coco are delivering all your dinners to your table, enjoy your time, don't go anywhere, and be sure to fill out a survey that comes with the orders so we'll know how to improve our products and services here at Pearl Waters. Thank you again and enjoy!"

Once the band got out of the stage and headed for the reserved table close to the main kitchen entrance, Coco arrived with their dishes and served them. "Way to go, you guys. You guys were smokin' hot at the stage!"

"And Hanon! She's so good singing that song!" Lucia cheered happily, complimenting her popular daffy friend despite the small statement she made before her singing. "I mean, the way she sang that song is like... she's confessing her love to somebody... though I have no idea who she's really interested to be honest..."

"Heh, if you ask me Hanon's interested in every single cute guy she sees, Lucia, but at least she's gotten over her _one-week boyfriend_ Kaito..." Rina chuckled as she began to chow on her dinner plate.

"Hey, sorry to break in to your little chat, but I've got a little problem," Coco began as she sprinkled some salt and pepper on each of the dishes she just served for the band. "You know those seven girls all the way at the back sharing one table? There's like two mini-fan clubs right there!"

Lucia and Rina turned their heads and slightly stood up to see where Coco was referring too and spotted them on sight. Rina gasped right when she saw the four younger girls at that table and turned to Coco. "Those younger girls--- I've met them earlier. They're fan girls alright but they're out of towners and they're not exactly Kaito Doumoto fan girls either."

The two girls sat back on their seats and continued on with their eating. "So... you know those girls, Rina?"

"They considered themselves the new generation of Cole Seahart Fans and they traveled here on their own to look for her---"

Just as Rina was about to continue the discussion gained attention from the three male members of the band when Taro quickly hushed Rina from continuing any further. "Rina, please, don't continue."

"Taro?" Rina blinked in confusion and turned her head towards Taro. "What's wrong...?"

"You mentioned the _forbidden_ name, Rina, that's what!" Coco exclaimed in a whisper. Quickly she took an empty seat from another table to join the conversation.

"What? Cole Sea---"

"Shhhh!" Coco and Taro hushed Rina right away, leaving Lucia, Hippo, and Rihito perplexed.

Rihito began his confusion by asking: "Uhh... what's going on here? Am I missing something?"

"Search me, Rihito," Lucia frowned with her arms crossed. "What's going on here, you guys? Who the heck is---" Quickly Taro covered his cousin's mouth to prevent her from blurting out the name.

"It's no use shutting us up, Taro," Hippo glared with a frown on his face. "I made a little research with my new friends Nagisa Shiroi and Seira Iria about this _Dainami-Oni _incident and Cole Seahart's name popped up from that day!"

"Hippo, keep your voice down!" Taro hushed the youngest Nanami child right away. "Your sister forbade any of us to talk about her or that incident anywhere here at Pearl Waters--- or anywhere in the town for that matter..."

Hippo raised an eyebrow, still looking disappointed with the behavior he was receiving at this time. "What the hell, man! Nicola hasn't told me or Lucia anything about that _Dainami-Oni _thing or this Cole Seahart surfer girl at all! I mean, seven years ago, okay? That Cole Seahart surfer made major history in the past Regional Surfing Championships by riding this 65-feet _Dainami-Oni _wild surf cleanly and at ease. Well, that's a good thing, right? Why would Nicola forbid anyone to talk about her, Taro? Does she have beef with her or something?"

"Taro, what's going on? Please tell me this entire ordeal. I'm already upset that our own Aunt Taki and most of all our own sister hiding secrets from us. Families don't hide secrets from each other, right?"

Rihito was about to stand up from the table, attempting to leave. "Uh, look... if this whole thing is a family issue then I think it's best if I---"

"You're not going anywhere, Amagi--- you're Pearl Waters staff, so sit back down!" Taro suddenly shouted right at his friend while Rihito slowly sits back to his own seat.

"Okay, Taro... calm down... I'm staying... I'm staying..."

Coco sighed deeply and lowered her head. "I wish I knew the entire story myself but I was warned by the Boss and even the Big Boss not to discuss anything about the _Dainami-Oni _incident and whoever and whatever was involved at that day when I first got hired. I barely even remembered that incident because I wanted to forget too." She rested her elbow on the table and continued.

"I was one of the contestants at the all-girls division of the tournament but I got injured during my semi-finals run and I couldn't compete. I never saw that historic event of Cole Seahart's 65-foot wild surf ride that won her the championship title because I was lying down at the infirmary... Next thing I knew the entire event just went in panic. But I have read--- I've read about Cole Seahart at the newspapers the next day--- and I fell in love with her accomplishments and she gained a new fan in me. I decided to work here at Pearl Waters in hopes of bringing back the true spirit of the Nijibe surf culture at the beach across from it--- Kaigara Sector 7 Beach--- and revive everything that was lost because of that incident. I got so excited when that First Annual Surf Scenes Tournament was going to happen and they were bringing back the surfer girls and the tandem surfing divisions. I wanted to be part of history again and I also hoped that one day the great Cole Seahart would make an appearance again. I've waited so many years for this to come back again... but at the same time I gotta respect the Boss and keep my mouth shut about what happened seven years ago..."

Hippo sighed and answered: "You waited... exactly... seven years later... and according to the research the _Dainami-Oni _ocean phenomenon only occurs every seven years in which the most dangerous breaker measurement of sixty-five feet would occur around late August... and with such a huge coincidence that the First Annual Surf Scenes Tournament had to land at that week. Not just that, the tandem surfing competition--- the final competition in the tournament--- also happens to be on August 29th..."

Taro stared blankly and realized immediately what the date meant. "August 29th... the same day as the _Dainami-Oni _tragedy that happened exactly seven years ago... how coincidental can you be...?"

"What I don't understand," Lucia spoke out, "was why Nicola wouldn't want us to talk about her or that incident? Why wouldn't Nicola or Aunt Taki--- or even you for the matter, Taro--- want Hippo and I to know what exactly happened that day and how that particular incident and this Cole Seahart person got something to do with our family--- the Nanami Family. Does Nicola know this legendary surfer girl personally or what?"

Silence befell at the staff table. Then for a few moments Taro sighed and answered: "Lucia... the _Dainami-Oni _incident... and Cole Seahart... had a lot to do with our family--- well, the Nanami Family. You and Hippo were way too young to remember that incident, but I do know that you kids were there when it happened. You... Hippo... Nicola... and also your parents."

"But Taro--- listen to me!" Lucia continued on. "I do remember a bit of what happened that day because we all know that August 29th was also the same day Mom and Dad died..."

Hippo's eyes widened in shock to hear what Lucia just said. Then shook his head. "No, Lucia. Mom and Dad died on August 30th --- the day after the _Dainami-Oni _incident! They were drowned in some boating accident! 'Right, Lucia?"

Lucia shook her head as she was beginning to recall more memories that she tried to forget, or rather, forced to forget by her older sister. "No. The reason why you know it's the thirtieth because Nicola told you that it was the thirtieth. Me, on the other hand... she tried to convince me that it was the thirtieth when I knew deep within that it was the twenty-ninth because... because..." She trailed off her response because at that moment she was beginning to recall her childhood fairy tale about her and that mysterious boy she rescued. She was beginning to remember the date of that fateful day where she found her one true love, which she still suspected as being surfer boy Kaito Doumoto.

_I remember now... why I was out at the beach in the first place that night. Because Mom and Dad died earlier before that night came. I ran out from home due to my mourning for my parents. I was desperate then. I swam out at the ocean because I wanted to find Mom and Dad somewhere underwater but instead... instead... I heard someone singing... it was the boy who sang a song at a boat... and the song he was singing that attracted me to him... It wasn't a happy song... it was a sad song... He was grieving too... and in a way... He saved my life... from accidentally killing myself swimming down just to look for Mom and Dad... I was so hopeful... so hopeful... but the song that boy sang reminded me something and that I shouldn't cry and get desperate. That was when I asked if I can sing with him because then... singing was his way of overcoming his sadness... and the rest was history... it's like we've forgotten about what we were grieving about and... connected..._

"It's the twenty-ninth, Hippo. Please confirm this date for me, Taro. Hippo has the right to know too!" Lucia demanded the cousin to confirm.

"Man, this is... this is just crazy!" Rina sighed and lowered her head. "I can't believe I'm hearing all this... first it was those four younger girls looking for their legendary idol and then now it turns out that this Cole Seahart and this incident thing are somewhat involved with you guys..."

Taro turned to Lucia after hearing his cousin's demands to confirm the true date of the parents' deaths. After a few moments of silence, he sighed and nodded. "I confirm, Lucia. Hippo, your parents died on August 29th... seven years ago."

"No!" Hippo gritted his teeth in disappointment and slammed his fist. "Why--- why am I out of the family loop? Why would Nicola do this to me? I haven't done anything to piss her off or anything but why hide all of this from Lucia and me?"

Rihito placed his arm around Hippo, hushing him and calming him down. "Look, Hippo... we don't have time to get pissed right now. We still got our show to do. We'll talk about this later, okay? Come on... don't let the rest of the people know we're having problems right now, okay?"

The rest of the table sighed as Coco stood up from her seat. "Look... I better get back to work, but I want to suggest something. None of us don't know anything about the _Dainami-Oni _incident or Cole Seahart starting tonight, okay? We keep our mouths shut for Boss's sake. We'll just have to find the right time to confront Nicola about this whole thing some other time, but tonight is a bad night. Everyone's excited and let's not ruin the mood."

Rihito nodded in agreement. "Coco's right. Let's get out there and have fun with the rest of the crowd. We can't afford to get all upset and angry because of all the stuff we're hearing right now. Let's finish dinner now, okay?"

While they were discussing the entire _Dainami-Oni _incident and Cole Seahart, the staff were lucky that there was not very many people overheard them. However, there was one particular table who did pay attention at the staff table while they were arguing and discussing.

"Hey..." Masahiro wondered curiously as he was observing the staff table and the band members' behavior as they were discussing. "Looks like the band's table has a bit of some verbal action going on in there..."

Nagisa nudged Masahiro on the side and answered: "Have you been staring at Rina again?"

"Well.. that too... but that's not what I'm referring to, Nagisa." He turned to the Doumoto Twins and the rest of the members at the table. "Have you guys noticed OC-5 and Coco having some kind of discussion and it looks like Taro Mitsuki doesn't look too happy... then the Nanami Sister and Brother looked really angry too..."

"Maybe they were tired and are cranky..." Daichi shrugged his arms.

"Or maybe they ran out of ideas on which song they're gonna play next..." Kengo chuckled with a slight snicker on his face.

"Maybe they're deciding whether Hanon should have an encore performance for tonight or not..." Nagisa sighed sadly, still thinking about Hanon and her singing earlier.

"Shh..." From out of the blue, Kaito hushed the entire team as everyone fell silent. Michal became concerned with Kaito's expression on his face and began to wonder herself.

"What's wrong, Kaito?" Michal asked curiously. "What's going on with my brother and the band over there?"

"Shh..." Kaito continued to hush Michal. He was not particularly observing the entire OC-5 table, but he was more observing Lucia's behavior at the table during discussion. She did not have a positive expression on her face at that time which Kaito determined that there was indeed something wrong. He began to contemplate regarding the heated discussion going on at that table. A few moments later he decided what to do after the night was over. He wanted to talk to Lucia about what had just happened.

Moments later after some rest, OC-5 headed back on stage and the show continued until the night was over.

It was eleven-thirty at night when the show ended and Pearl Waters needed some cleaning in which Nicola decided that they will clean up the mess in the morning the next day since the restaurant would be closed until noontime. While the band continued to tear down their instruments, Lucia was startled to see Kaito by the door, gazing directly at her. Once she spotted him, Kaito gave a one-finger salute towards her. Lucia returned her usual smile again, knowing that seeing the boy of her dreams was more than enough to make her smile.

Lucia placed her rhythm guitar and turned to the rest of the band. Taro looked up at Lucia with a begging look and spotted Kaito waiting by the entrance. He nodded at Lucia and allowed her to go see Kaito and that he will fix her rhythm guitar for her.

She ran to where Kaito was standing and greeted him with her usual manner. "Hi, Kaito. I'm surprised you're still here. I thought you and your dudes and your girls already went home."

"Daichi, Kengo, G, Sara, and Michal already left. Hamasaki, Nagisa, Seira, and myself remained here. We were waiting for you, I guess..."

"You shouldn't have," Lucia chuckled softly. "You guys are probably tired going all wild and crazy with us performing so you should have your sleep. You don't want to miss the great morning waves to ride on, won't you?"

Kaito gave a slight grin and said "I don't mind staying up longer, even when I'm hanging out with you. Want to go have a walk with me at the beach?"

"R-really...?" Lucia's face suddenly brightened like the sun unaware her face began to turn slightly red.

"Let's go then."

Moments later, both Lucia and Kaito were wading along the shore with the ocean's tide rolling in slowly and calmly, perfect to close the entire day. Though the first night with OC-5 was a lot of fun, Lucia knew she failed to fulfill the request Kaito made since this morning.

"I'm so sorry I didn't get to sing you a song earlier, Kaito..." Lucia sighed sadly with her head lowered. "I meant to sing during our show earlier today, seriously. It's just... it's just..."

Kaito shook his head and turned to her. "You were upset at something big earlier, Lucia. The dudes and I noticed some squabble with you and the rest of the OC-5 about something... I mean if it was something that really upset you that time then you should let it all out so you can feel better."

Lucia began to pick up random flat pebbles and threw it right on the ocean, bouncing three times before it dropped down the water. "Hey Kaito... I know this is kinda stupid but... I've been thinking... a lot... about... well... lots of things... there's some good ones... some bad ones... and some that I'm very hopeful for... I'm just really messed up on my head right now."

"Want to talk about it, Lucia? Well, it's up to you. I'm not trying to force you in to telling me stuff that's really personal to you. It's just that... well... I guess it'd be easier for me to find ways to make you feel better again... that's all."

Lucia felt a lot hopeful than she was before. She was beginning to think that Kaito may have the same feelings for her, but because of such a short time span she decided to ignore that fact. Until now he was still the boy she loves from the distance. But he was there as a friend and she wanted to make sure she would keep that friendship for a long time and that was she intended to do with him.

"Well... Hippo... and Rina... found new info about some major incident that happened seven years ago... and it was right here at this particular beach. It's about some _Dainami-Oni _wave, someone named Cole Seahart, and my parents' death."

Kaito's eyes widened in shock to hear the three last words from what Lucia just stated. "Parents?... I'm sorry... I didn't know..."

Lucia smiled while shaking her head. "No need to apologize. You're not expected to know everything about everyone in class... let alone someone like me. I just wish I knew my parents more but it's unfortunate that fate decided to cut their lives short. I was only seven when my parents died..."

"Wait... seven? That means..." Kaito stood in front of her, facing her with curiosity in his eyes. "Your parents died... seven years ago?" Lucia nodded to confirm.

Kaito led Lucia to a huge group of rocks near the ocean and they both sat at the flat surfaces of these rocks. The ocean currents rolled in and crashed along the barrier of these rocks, just below from where they were sitting. Lucia felt at that point that Kaito definitely wanted to get to know her more. If that was not the reason then the other possible reason would be that Kaito may somehow relate to her complicated situation and wanted to leave his ears open to her as a friend.

"I... I feel like I can tell you anything, Kaito." Lucia made her statement after pondering whether if it was okay to tell him what she was about to tell him. On the other hand Kaito did tell her about his _competition bracelet_ secret earlier and had trust in her. Now she wanted to test this trust.

"I told you about my secret earlier today. If you don't want me to tell anyone about what you wanted to tell me, then it stays a secret."

"Alright then." Lucia cleared her throat and began. "Hippo and I are furious at Nicola for not telling us the entire truth. I wish I was old enough for me to remember that day. But everything just went by fast. It's like... one time your parents are just in front of you, then the next thing... they're gone. Taro sorta blurted out signs about what really happened to our parents. What I don't understand was that why Nicola wouldn't tell us the entire story? I mean we're family--- and there's not very much of us in both sides of our family. We only have each other now, plus Aunt Taki and Taro and Taro's family from his old town."

When Lucia took a short break before she continued she felt the chill coming from the ocean and began to shiver. Kaito, who was always prepared when it comes to the beach, took out a rather thick beach blanket from his backpack, unfolded it, and placed the blanket around her and himself.

"Here, Lucia. It's getting cold right now." Kaito said as Lucia took the other end and wrapped themselves together to keep warm.

"Thanks, Kaito. I never knew the breeze would get cold like this... around this time it's usually warm."

"Ocean weather forecasts are always unpredictable, Lucia, so you always gotta be prepared."

Lucia smiled and gazed at her bandaged middle finger Kaito fixed from earlier today. "Thanks for patching my finger up."

"No problem, Lucia." Kaito smiled and continued. "So... I know this may be personal but... how did your parents die?"

Even if it was a personal question Lucia felt at ease immediately whenever she spoke to Kaito. Though they only knew each other for two days personally she also felt as if she knew him forever. It was hard to explain for the time being, but because of this overwhelming feeling of trust she decided not to worry about it and answered him.

"My parents drowned... They were taken by this very ocean we're standing over right now. But how they were taken away by the ocean went by really fast. It was a boating accident, Nicola told me. Hippo and I always knew they died in a boating accident for the past seven years. But after talking amongst ourselves during our dinner break earlier... we're not so sure anymore."

"Not so sure? What do you mean?"

"Well... it's just that... there's a lot of things about our family and what happened seven years ago that Hippo and I don't know. Even Taro isn't even telling us what's going on because he made a promise with Nicola about what really went on at that time. And even when I was little I remember Nicola even insisting the date of our parents' death. I was there when... everything happened... though I never really saw what happened... I was there... Hippo was there... and I can never forget the date it happened even if Nicola forced me to believe it was a different date. I was a little kid then... Of course I wouldn't know what to do to answer her back. But Kaito, wouldn't you feel anger and pain if your own older sibling would hide things from you?"

"Of course I would. Lucky for me my older sibling was only ten minutes or so older than I am. But if you were in my shoes I wouldn't worry about it, especially with the tournament coming up in two months. You need to concentrate on preparing for the tournament, Lucia, I mean you're pretty much a competitor now for the surf bands contest. You can't let all these past problems get to you."

Lucia sighed and lowered her head, tightening her fist while still thinking about earlier. "I know... but... this whole thing just made me so mad... and I'm also hurt about it too... I mean... I'm family too... don't I count anymore?"

Kaito fell silent while he gazed out at the ocean. He was not ignoring Lucia or anything, but at the same time he knew he had to make her feel better again. She already cried out of emotion earlier today. He knew she should not cry again at this particular night, not because crying girls annoyed him generally, but because he knew that she had her own personal troubles within her family right now.

"After telling me a bit about your parents, well, I'm somewhat happy to let you know that you and I have one thing in common. It's... coincidental... in a way... but just to let you know that I can easily relate to you right now."

"Common...? What do you mean?"

"Simple. My parents also died seven years ago--- from drowning..."

Lucia's eyes widened in shock and quickly turned her head to Kaito. "What...? I... I'm so sorry, Kaito... I had no idea..."

Kaito also gave the same reaction to her as she did earlier. "You already said what I was going to answer, so... I don't have to repeat it. But I'm over it now though. Sometimes I do think of them whenever I'm out surfing."

"Really? Well, I heard from Hanon that your parents were famous classical composers or something but during the summer they're surfers too?"

"Yeah. Tandem surfing. They drowned during that _Dainami-Oni _incident when they were completely wiped out once that 60-something-feet wave rolled in. I was at the shore watching them while my uncle was taking care of me and Gaito. I think the day when my parents died affected me the most. I didn't want to cry because my parents raised me to be tough, so I had to find another way to express my sorrow. Afterwards... I felt better... but it also gave me a reason why I should continue to live. Our relatives advised us to not pursue surfing or even try surfing and continue with other hobbies, but somehow their death gave me an inspiration."

"Inspiration?"

Kaito nodded. "Their death only reminded Gaito and me that we have a legacy to carry and despite of what the relatives warned us he and I concentrated more on surfing instead of our other hobby stuff. Not just that though. After I've gotten really good, winning championships here and there and everywhere, I have a new goal in surfing. It's not just about winning tournaments anymore. Even if I end up losing I still want to reach that goal and make a new record in surfing history."

"New goal? What is it?"

"You mentioned Cole Seahart earlier today, Lucia, and I haven't answered you yet. Since I have been a professional surfer for about eight years now it is obvious that Cole Seahart is a very familiar name. It was because of her and her smooth ride of the 65-feet _Dainami-Oni_ that inspired me to create this new girl. That goal would be this: I want to be the one to break Cole Seahart's record. Sure, it is a record but she only rode it for quite a short time--- three minutes. When I'm lucky this summer and catch that _Dainami-Oni _I'm going to ride that wild surf for at least five minutes."

Lucia gasped in surprise and shook her head. "But Kaito... that's dangerous... and deadly... and..."

"I've ridden 50-feet waves before at past tournaments and I was able to ride them for at least ten minutes. But don't worry about it, Lucia. I know what I'm doing and I'll be careful when that time comes..."

Lucia gulped nervously and sighed while cradling her bent legs to her. "Kaito, riding a ridiculously huge wave such as a 65-feet breaker measurement is like stoked suicide! I know what general surfer behavior is like. The most hardcore of all the hardcores are like coastal gypsies. They would travel everywhere from coast to coast, beach to beach, to find the most perfect wave to ride on. Once they find the most perfect wild surf they can all die happy. They prioritize catching the perfect wave over everything else... even falling in love."

"Dummy!" Kaito chuckled at Lucia's reaction. "Breaking Cole Seahart's record is not my primary goal. I have other goals too, but those other goals are a lot harder to achieve than breaking her record. But I gotta admit... when I saw her that day riding that crazy wild surf she just looked spectacular out there. She conquered that sea demon straight-out like she owned the ocean. A lot of the kids got in to surfing right away just because of what she did that day. A lot of the surfer pros and even Gaito himself worshipped Cole Seahart like the sea goddess of Nijibe back then... but now because of this town-wide favor by the mayor we're not even allowed to talk about her in the open anymore."

Lucia fell silent and cradled herself tighter, leaning her chin on top of her knees. "I wish I was familiar with Cole Seahart... but now after what we did I had a feeling that our family was really close to Cole Seahart, somehow..."

Kaito shook his head as he leaned his back on an angle slowly using his arms as his own stand. "That was the last time I saw Cole Seahart, Lucia. After the tragedy, she just disappeared. No one, not even the media or those stinking paparazzi and those damn tabloids, had no idea where she went. It was because of the tragedy and her disappearance that both tandem surfing and the spirit of the surfer girls faded here in Nijibe. I'm just glad we still got girls like Coco, Caren, and Noel who still surf in this town or otherwise we'd never get in to the tournament for sure."

"Kaito, so the entire surf scenes team was already assembled? You guys are already going to submit the application and payment to enter the tournament?"

"No... we're almost there. Hamasaki's already talking to Rina at Pearl Waters by now... and Nagisa asking Hanon to be his tandem surfing partner."

Now that Lucia had an idea what tandem surfing is thanks to the documentary DVD she lent from Hippo, it was also the perfect time for her to ask. "I'm curious... which one of you dudes are gonna enter the tandem surfing competition segment? I know Nagisa is asking Hanon now..."

"Gaito and Sara... I didn't know Sara surfs sometimes too. And... well... me."

Lucia gasped happily right when she remembered her talk with Hippo yesterday about tandem surfing. Hippo made a prediction that Kaito would be one of the surfers who will compete in the tandem surfing competition segment. "Then... you already have a partner, Kaito?"

Kaito shook his head. "I haven't worked on that part yet. I've had other things in mind..."

"Oh... well that's understandable." Lucia chuckled shyly and softly. "You were forming other aspects of the surf scenes team. But... finding the perfect tandem surfing partner is definitely going to be tough."

"Yeah... but I'll worry about that later. Starting tomorrow is training session. Waking up at four in the morning, head out to the beach at five-thirty knowing the best breakers roll in really fast at that period... maybe even way earlier than that too. But I also gotta remind the dudes one of the general health rules of surfing--- never surf on full stomach. It's not a very... good... feeling."

Lucia giggled while imagining the result of a surfer on a full stomach. "I'd... rather not picture that. But I agree. You'd feel bloated while you're having this very wild and dangerous ride out there. It's like... riding on a roller coaster, you know? Has it ever happened to one of your dudes?"

"Nagisa--- when he first started... so did Kengo and Daichi... sometimes they forget they shouldn't be eating first before they take on the ocean. Like riding on a ship, surfing can get you seasick too and you get the same result."

She stretched her arms to be sure they do not end up stiff on her current position. "Well, speaking of plans, we have a plan too. Starting tomorrow it's straight to rehearsals during closing hours and then we do our regular jobs during business hours. Fridays is our performance night... and we start over again. Occasionally we'll play out at the beach again like earlier today. Once we take on the best of the best surf bands around the region I can feel that OC-5 will be invincible. We've got Taro and Rihito as our composers on instrumentals and me with the vocals. Rina, Hippo, and I would get together and write the lyrics since Taro and Rihito aren't too good at that department. Hippo doesn't do anything as long as he gives us the best beats for the songs we write. Besides... Taro and Rihito can't do everything so we have to chip in a little too. Good thing they're music masters in classical music or else we'd sound totally wack... and the fact that Rihito was a full-pledged surfer himself he can easily capture and hear how the sound should be like while you're out there riding your biggest wave you've ever ridden in your life. Once he hears that sound he'll transform it in to a melodic score. Then Taro takes that melody and composes each parts that would blend in with the melody to correspond with each instrument we play. Blend those two geniuses together and you get _surf sound _perfection, Kaito! I... I'm sure sometimes you could hear some distinct sound whenever you're riding your best wave you've ever ridden... do you?"

Kaito took his beach blanket and laid it on the surface. Slowly he lied down on the beach with his arms behind his head, staring at the starry sky. Lucia sat on the beach blanket and sat with the same position as before with her legs sitting relaxed with her knees to her left, knowing she was still wearing that V-string mu'umu'u dress she lent from Hanon and that she had to keep herself clean to prevent Kaito from accidentally seeing her underwear.

A full moon was out, not too distant from where they were sitting, and the surfer boy found his eyes hypnotized towards the moon. "Yup. It happens when I enter my _alchemy hour _mode. It's the best feeling you could ever have, dude. I know what Rihito's feeling because... I was a music student too. Well, Gaito and me. I know how that moment feels like, Lucia."

Lucia's eyes widened and quickly turned her head and looked down at him. "You... you're in to music too?"

"Used to. Used to dig it when I was a kid. Then I ditched it for surfing. But you know, once you learned some craft and you stuck with it for many years and then ditch it for something else, that same craft you started learning before gets stuck with you. Before my surfing days, I was taught how to play the piano... play the guitar... did some songwriting too..."

"Wow! I didn't know that... that's just awesome, Kaito! No wonder the rumors were around when all the girls you dated always wanted to bring you to some karaoke parlor and stuff. At first I thought you'd probably be annoyed with it but now I learned you like music..."

Kaito laughed from out of the blue and answered. "Keep a little secret, Lucia?"

"Another one? Sure!"

"Okay. I'm sure lately you've been overhearing me telling other people that I don't dance and I don't sing..."

Lucia nodded and giggled. "I don't blame you if you don't dance or don't sing. In fact, let me do the singing and you can just sit there and relax and enjoy while someone else entertain you---"

"Well, Lucia, that's it. I... do... dance... and sing... most especially singing... My parents put me in the town's junior boys choir when I was five and yeah... Not everyone knows about this except the surf tribe... and now, you."

Lucia suddenly felt a huge bump from her heart and placed her hand on her chest. Somehow right then she found herself blushing and then placed a hand on to her cheek so Kaito would not notice. "I bet you must have a beautiful singing voice, Kaito. If those crazy girls who always took you to karaoke for dates think you've got a really beautiful singing voice then I want to hear it too! Never mind the dance part since I don't know how surf bums really dance. I just play them with the band!"

Kaito snickered as he sat up slowly. "You still owe me a song, Lucia. You didn't sing one to me tonight."

"Hey!" Lucia pouted with her arms crossed. "I know I owe you a song but what are you gonna do for me in exchange? Since I now learned you sing too, then you should pay me back by singing a song to me. You think you'd just get away easily like that? Nice try, genius!"

Kaito frowned and also crossed his arms. "Fine, fine. I guess it's a fair deal."

"Or how about this. I'll sing your song tonight and then you'll sing yours to me!"

Kaito raised an eyebrow of suspicion. "I'm not like you, Lucia. I don't just come up with random lyrics from my head like that. I have to concentrate at a certain place for a long while before I write it down on paper before I sing it."

"Oh it's easy, Kaito. It's the same as your method except you just come up with stuff that comes in your mind as you absorb whatever it is you're observing while searching for inspiration. I'll show you what I mean if you like."

"... You're going to show me how to _freestyle _a song from my head... like how you and Rina Touin did yesterday with that surfing song?"

Lucia nodded. "We were looking at you and the surf tribe surfing out at the ocean that made us sing that song without written lyrics, so that's how we got our lyrics."

"Okay... so how are you going to show me?"

Lucia chuckled and began to observe around their atmosphere. "Hm... let's see... we need to find a good inspiration for us to sing from the head..." She searched the rocks, the ocean beneath them, the sands and some random couples hanging around the shore, watching the sea and others making out in hiding, and then the bright starry sky with the help of the illuminating full moon.

"Aha!" Lucia pointed immediately towards the full moon with a grin on her face. "Let's sing about the moon!"

Kaito burst in to laughter, lowering his head to hide his chuckle from Lucia. "You're kidding, right?"

"Oh come on, Kaito, if you actually like what you said earlier before you ditched it before surfing, then I wanna make up a song with you about the moon!"

Kaito tried to prevent himself from laughing some more but Lucia's rather strange sense of humor just could not help himself. On the other hand, joke or not, he decided to play along. Then again, why sing about the moon? Why not about life? Or better yet, a song about falling in love?

"Who the hell sings a song about the moon, anyway? I don't mind a love song or a self-confidence song, but... the moon?"

Lucia snickered right after he laughed instantly. "Dude, there's so many songs that sing about the moon, okay? Like the old stuff like _Blue Moon _and _There's A Moon Out Tonight_ and new ones like _The Lonely Moon_ and all other types of moon songs. This song we're gonna sing about is about our full moon... the Nijibe full moon... the full moon overlooking the ocean, providing the brightest light for all the surf bums and random couples here and there who may be out at the beach at night. Besides... singing about the moon is more common than singing about surfing and people say I'm weird singing about surfing. Then again, the moon may not just be romantic but also magnetic too!"

"... Magnetic?"

"Yeah! Magnetic! Anyway, I'll start first with one verse. Then afterwards, your turn!"

"Alright, fine. What am I supposed to do?"

"Look at the moon as long as you can and while you look at the moon, think of some good thoughts--- maybe some bad thoughts too--- whenever there's a moon out. And just re-arrange them to make it sound like a song!"

"... Right..."

Lucia and Kaito fell silent as both looked up the sky and right towards the moon. Without being aware of what each other was thinking both found themselves hypnotized right at the moon and dozens of imagery and visions began to fill their creative minds. As for Lucia, once she found her first lines along with a matching tune and began to sing her verse:

_There's a moon in the sky somewhere I know_

_Waiting for all the love to burn below_

_If you fall and it happens all too soon_

_Blame it all on the surfer moon_

Right then Kaito heard Lucia stop singing. That meant that it was his turn to pitch in the next lyrics. He caught the melody from Lucia's singing and used the same tune for his verse. "Uh okay... here goes..." He cleared his throat first and then sang:

_'Neath the hill 'hind the cloud one dreamy night_

_Rising up throwing down its golden light_

_If your heart hears this melancholy tune  
_

_Then you'll know it's the surfer moon_

"Wow!" Lucia exclaimed in amazement. Just as Kaito stated earlier, his natural singing talent from childhood still stuck with him. Even the surfer boy himself felt amazed at that time too. "Those words are more beautiful than mine. You should go back to music again! I wanna make sure I write the lyrics down so we can finish it!"

Kaito gazed at Lucia with another suspicion in his mind. "Finish it?"

"Well yeah! We only got two verses and we pretty much got part of the melody down!" Lucia gave a thumbs up and a huge smile on her face. "It's a sweet song! It should be an anthem for all surfers, boy and girl, in love with that special someone! It should be a love anthem for the beach where surf life lives! It should be---"

"Weirdo!" Kaito snickered. "A song about the moon should be a love anthem for surfers in love? What the hell is up with that?"

"But the moon is very important to the ocean! If you remember science class last year, Kaito, the moon's gravitational pull provides the high tides and the low tides on any ocean and sea around the earth! Bad news for sailors, good news for surfers! It's full moon now and you know what that means---"

Kaito smirked and stood up from his spot and looked down towards Lucia. "Of course I know what it means. I've got one of the highest grades in science last year. I finally realized what you meant by the moon being _magnetic_. The moon and the earth are attracted to each other, just like magnets, and a hot surfer dude and a hot dumb beach chick---"

"Hey, what kind of an example is that, Kaito?" Lucia glared at him with suspicion in her mind.

"Yo, I'm making a point here! Okay, check it. Imagine the entire planet earth being all chicks; the ocean being specifically the hot dumb beach chicks; and the moon being the hot surfer dudes. See, this hot surfer dude not only surfs hardcore but he also likes checkin' out chicks--- in general, okay? Not all of us are like this so don't get the wrong idea."

Lucia softly giggled while covering her mouth, preventing herself from bursting in to laughter. "Anyway!" Kaito continued on. "The hot surfer dude's charms is like the moon's gravitational pull and the dude's mission with his charms is to attract chicks--- not just hot beach chicks but all chicks! Apparently only hot dumb beach chicks who only care about a hot surfer dude's looks and surfing skills get attracted to him, which also means that the surfer dude can't attract all chicks, but only a certain number--- or type--- of chicks, you know? It's the same with the moon. The earth's gravitational power is a lot stronger than the moon's gravitational power that the moon was not able to pull anything from the earth--- with the exception of the ocean. The ocean is always fluid, always moving, and it's not solid stuck to the rest of the earth, which was why the moon's gravitational power is able to pull the ocean towards him. The pull causes the ocean to create high tides and low tides on particular stages of the moon while at the same time causes the ocean to break and form wild surf. Like you said earlier, bad for sailors, good for surfers."

Lucia fell silent and contemplated his rather bizarre explanation. Then from out of the blue she answered with a smile on her face: "So that means, you're the moon and the Rainbow Pop Girls and your fan club represent the ocean, right?"

Kaito raised an eyebrow of confusion. "Uh... I guess in a way you _could _say that. What's your point?"

"Then who's the earth then?"

Kaito began to contemplate regarding the question and deep within he wanted to say Lucia, but instead he found a more perfect name to represent the earth. "Uhh... Rina Touin?"

Lucia chuckled once she heard him answered. "Rina Touin? Why'd you pick her?"

"Are you stupid or something? You should know your friends, girl! Rina Touin will tear any guy apart who try to get with her at one time. Besides, I'm not exactly aiming my charms at girls like her, so yeah. Rina Touin is the Earth."

"O... kay! I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

Kaito turned his head towards the horizon and stared at the ocean breaking rapidly and rolling in to the shore in a rate of seconds. The numerous swell rolling in at that rapid rate meant perfect conditions for surfers of all levels. The eager surfer boy found himself hypnotized to head out to the ocean and ride the waves, but because it was midnight and the water was probably cold tonight was not a good idea. Besides, how could he just run out to the ocean like that with his surfboard and leave Lucia alone at the shore? Nevertheless it was still a good time to gaze at the raging waves closely and still enjoy the scenery.

"Want to look closer at the incoming moon tides, Lucia?"

Lucia chuckled and stood up from her spot. "I thought we're done talking about the moon?"

"It's your fault for starting it, Lucia. Now you're making me talk about the moon too... You really are strange, you know that?"

"Okay already, Kaito. You don't have to remind me again!" Kaito stuck his tongue at her reaction and took his beach blanket up.

"Here. If you're cold, you can use this to keep you warm." He placed the beach blanket around Lucia as she blushed and covered herself with it. Kaito climbed down the rocks first then reached for Lucia's hand to help her down.

"Thanks, Kaito. So we're heading back to the sand?"

"Duh! How else are we going to look at the moon tides a little closer? Come on!"

"Coming... coming..."

Once they reached the sand they ran to the nearest area to remove their shoes (in Lucia's case, her slippers), and ran to the shore where they felt the wet sand rather cold. That can only mean one thing. The water itself was also cold. Regardless, the breaker measurements still tempted any highly-spirited surfer to run back home, grab their boards, and ride those fresh waves brought to them by the full moon.

"Aren't you going to catch those waves, Kaito?" Lucia asked curiously. "I can tell by your eyes and by the way your body twitching that you want to just paddle out there and claim your surf."

Kaito slightly snickered at Lucia for the remark but he was not kidding himself when he needed to rest for tomorrow to get out of the waves again. "Not tonight, Lucia. My body's not capable right now. Been surfing too much the entire day."

"I see. I understand." Lucia gave a humble grin and turned back to the ocean. "But you can't resist the power of the ocean, you know? Especially that the moon's gravitational pull is making its moves to it."

"Heh... seriously Lucia, if I had full energy right now I'd strip myself and run my board to the ocean. Not only it has a powerful effect from the moon but it has a voice. Sometimes when I'm out there it's like the ocean's speaking to me, guiding me through my ride. I guess it's because of that voice that helps me win, you know?"

Lucia turned to Kaito, now facing the ocean currents himself and flashed another humble smile. She turned her head back towards the full moon and then to the ocean currents. Few moments later another line and tune appeared on her head again, which made her sing those new words out:

_Brings the tide in_

_Takes it all away_

What Lucia did not know was that Kaito was experiencing the same moment as she was. A new line and tune somewhat connecting to Lucia's tune and added his line:

_Helps us ride in_

_Brings us waves each day_

Without being aware, both Lucia and Kaito sang two words after those two lines, not only on the same note, but in a harmonized duet:

_I say . . ._

Once they heard each other sing those two words the two turned to each other with overwhelmed expressions on their faces. Did they just sing another verse of their _moon _song?

"Um..." Lucia chuckled nervously, lowing her head down shyly.

"Er..." Kaito chuckled the same way, slowly scratching the back of his head. "What were we singing about... the moon or surfing...?"

"Heh... heh..." Lucia slowly chuckled at Kaito's reaction. "Erm... well... the moon... does bring the tide in... and then it takes it all away... high tide... low tide... so yeah! We're singing about the moon!"

"Well... uhh... I sang those lines... from a surfer's point of view... high tides help us surfers ride in there and it also brings us the best waves it can give us... each day..."

"Oh!" Lucia grinned nervously and placed her hand on her forehead. "Right... right..."

"I... I think you and I... are in _alchemy mode _right now. I mean... why are we singing about the moon and surfing then?"

"Um... _alchemy hour _is good--- although I've never really experienced it. I thought only surfers get in that mode after they ride the _gnarliest _wave they've ever ridden?"

"Well... that's the general meaning... some surfers define it differently to themselves. But it's clear that you and I are both in love---"

Lucia shrieked immediately: "No, I'm not in love---"

"--- with the ocean, the surf, and the moon, you dummy!" Kaito chuckled and rubbed his fist gently on Lucia's hair.

"Hey, stop that!" Lucia grabbed his fist from her hair and glared right at him. "Why on earth did you have to say that... that we're _in love_... with the ocean, the surf, and the moon... like that?"

Kaito snickered with his arms crossed. "Why, Lucia? What did you think I was going to say?"

"Erm... nothing! I got all nervous and everything!"

"Or rather... What did you _want_ me to say, hm?" Right at that moment he placed his fingers gently under her chin while smiling right at her.

Lucia could feel her heart beating rapidly as if she was going to have a heart attack, however these particular types of heartbeats were not to give her a heart attack, but it was all due to Kaito's little move he just made on her. "Um... d-don't be so hopeful, Kaito... I... I'm not interested in a summer romance!"

Right then Kaito released his fingers and slowly backed away from her. "Yo! Who do you think I am? Wow... I didn't know you were that forward, Lucia! Is this your way of hitting on me and get my attention? Pretending you're in to surfing when you're only using it to get to me?"

Lucia tightened her fist and answered quickly: "Hit on you? Pretending I'm in to surfing just so I can get with you? You really are self-centered and so full of yourself! Listen up, dude, you don't know me, alright? I can't believe you'd look at me like some other girl you were used to--- your... _one-week girlfriends_? I can't believe you'd assume things like that to me! How dare you, Kaito Doumoto!" Quickly she removed the beach blanket and threw it right at him. "I'm going home!" Before Kaito was about to say something Lucia ran back across the street and right at home to Pearl Waters.

Kaito ran after her, calling out to her name, but it was too late. She already disappeared from his vision. He lowered his head and shook. He sighed afterwards.

_Why the hell did you say that, Kaito? You really are an idiot! Why did I say that to her? Why did I screw up already... especially with a really great girl like Lucia? What was I thinking..._

He gazed at the beach blanket on his hand when he heard movement and footsteps closing in on him. He turned his head to see who was coming. He sighed in relief when he saw Nagisa and Masahiro right at the spot with concerned faces.

"Hey--- we passed by Lucia on our way here." Masahiro stated. "She was crying. What the hell happened?"

Kaito frowned and turned his head. "N-nothing, okay? We just... had an argument!"

"Kaito, come on... You don't usually... argue... with any girl you get involved with." Nagisa said with concern in his eyes. "I mean you cared for them so much even if you end the relationship after one week..."

"The thing is, Nagisa, is that Lucia is just a friend, not a _one-week girlfriend_. She's nothing more than that. Not even close to a... what do they call it? A _BFF_? She's just way too... well.. she's way out of my league."

Masahiro gave a slight curious look and crossed his arms. "Just what on earth did you and Lucia argue about?"

"We argued about--- the moon!" Kaito shouted his response to the two. "Don't get your hopes high because of this!"

"You argued about the moon?" Masahiro questioned Kaito with suspicion in his mind. "So... you sent Lucia crying... over the moon?"

"Um, do you mean the full moon up the sky or are we talking about... the _other_... moon?" Nagisa asked curiously.

"Yo, I didn't send her crying just because we disagreed over... the moon... She's just way too emotional... and yeah... She's a total weirdo! We even made up a song about the moon for crying out loud!"

Masahiro shook his head with a slight frown. "After observing Lucia Nanami for the past two days while I've been pondering how I was going to approach Rina Touin with the beach babe thing I highly doubt Lucia Nanami would be the type to cry over... the moon. In fact I didn't really see her as the crying type because she's just way too cheerful and hyper to cry over something so small such as--- the moon!"

Kaito shook his head and headed his way back to the streets. "Look, man, let's just go home, alright? We've had a long day and it's getting too late. I don't want to talk about her or the stupid moon."

"Whatever, dude." Masahiro shrugged as he let Kaito lead their way. He and Nagisa slowly followed, slightly distant from Kaito.

Nagisa leaned over to Masahiro and whispered: "You're not gonna buy that stupid moon excuse, are you, Hamasaki?"

Masahiro shook his head, also agreeing with Nagisa. "No girl would just cry over the moon like that... Lucia may be slightly weird but not _that _weird."

"Huh... Kaito said they sang about the moon. I wonder what he meant by that?"

Masahiro shrugged his arms as he, Nagisa, and Kaito headed back to the shack.

Back at Pearl Waters a few moments later, Lucia shed tears on the pillow of her bed after the rather small argument with Kaito about their real motives with each other. Lucia knew she was not pretending, nor that she was using her knowledge in the sport her long-time crush truly loves. It was true that she was in love with him and would probably do anything to get him to fall in love with her in return but not on the second day since they met.

Hanon and Rina were in her room with Hanon sitting at the edge of Lucia's bed, comforting her by patting her shoulder. "Oh for heaven's sake, Lucia, stop crying. Most surfer boys in this town have that kind of mindset--- Kaito included. But seriously though I can't believe he'd say such a thing to you like that."

"I feel stupid, Hanon..." Lucia answered from her tears. "I thought... I thought I was on my way to winning Kaito's heart by becoming good friends with him. He was so sweet and so nice to me this entire day until now... I'm pretty sure he hates me by now and wouldn't wanna do anything with me anymore..."

Rina glared at the thought and crossed her arms. "Seriously, Lucia, if that's gonna happen just because of that short argument you and he had just now then give me an OK so I can sock the hell out of that ass!"

"Whoa, Rina, violence isn't the answer," Hanon interrupted her. "Kaito's always been nice and sweet to the girls no matter how much he gets annoyed with them... but to tell you the truth most of the time he only thinks about himself and his surfing glories. His surf tribe would be his second priority. Girls would be the last thing he has on his priority list. But so what? It's only the second day. You got plenty of time to get him to fall in love with you this summer. We just gotta make sure he doesn't start hitting on other girls and start that whole _one-week girlfriend _thing."

"I feel horrible..." Lucia continued to cry while answering her closest friends. "I yelled at him... screamed at him... called him self-conceited and full of himself... "

"Which he is," Rina answered quickly.

"He'd probably just ignore me and probably would also start jeering at me, calling me weirdo and stupid and stuff like those pathetic Rainbow Pop Girls and his fan club back in school..."

"No kidding with this one!" Rina continued. "That's why I don't want to get involved with surfer dudes, most especially with the Doumoto Brothers--- Kaito to be more specific. But since this surf scenes tournament thing sorta brought us together as one team we don't have a choice."

Hanon smiled and leaned to Lucia's ear and spoke: "Don't forget, Lucia. You still got that surf scenes tournament competing in the surf band contest so there is no way Kaito is just gonna ignore you like that. You're technically part of the surf tribe, more or less. See, I learned one thing about surfers being part of a tribe. Once they're a part of the tribe they stay loyal to that tribe. He can't turn away from you because... it's not really in his nature to ignore a fellow surfer or team player in your tribe."

Lucia slowly turned her head and wiped her continuous tears. "What am I gonna do now? I don't want to come to the beach tomorrow... but I want to reach out to Kaito and apologize about what happened earlier... but he'll be all busy concentrating on his surfing training and I don't want to bug him..."

"You don't have to apologize to him the next day, Lucia. For all we know he's still hotheaded. We need to give him some space for a bit." Rina provided her advice with a nod.

"I guess you're right, Rina. I'll wait until next week---"

"No. Wait until Friday. He'll be watching us on stage again next Friday night. We gained a new fan in him as of earlier today, Lucia. He admitted it to us after the show and he loved our stuff. He even told us that he thought you looked really beautiful tonight, Lucia."

"Oh?" Lucia gasped and found herself blushing again. "He thought... I was... beautiful...?"

"See?" Hanon chuckled. "The mu'umu'u dress worked! If he really said that then he can't ignore you. I knew he'd like you in that dress. You looked so cute in it!"

"You still have a chance with him, Lucia." Rina answered with a smile on her face. "But here's the thing. Sure, you'll wait. But don't make the first move after the long period of silence. Make him come to you, Lucia. You're the moon and he's the ocean, Lucia. Let _him _come to you."

Lucia slightly smiled and lowered her head. "Thanks, guys... I think I'm going to head to bed now."

Moments later after Hanon and Rina left her bedroom, Lucia washed herself and are now in her pajamas. She began to think about what happened with the argument but decided not to think about that. Instead she thought about the moments they shared before the argument began. She began to smile, thinking about the song she and Kaito wrote and sang, even if it was about the moon or more or less surfing. She closed her eyes and found herself finishing the rest of the song:

_Other moons have brought light and love before_

_Promising to remain for evermore_

_But they all disappeared with each new tune_

_They make way for the surfer moon_

Moments later, Lucia permanently kept her eyes as closed as she fell in to a deep and relaxing sleep.

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_

_#1 – The term **snake**, aside from the slithering poisonous reptile, is also a surfer lingo term for a surfer who cuts/steals a wave from another surfer who was already riding that wave, causing the current surfer to get wiped out easily. In the surfing world and according to general surfing regulations, any **snakes** are being looked down upon as well as mocked by real surfers all over. In the case of the fanfic, Kengo called Michal a **snake **for dragging Kaito all the way to the front of the line. It wasn't the cutting part that got the surfer boys upset but for a girl like Michal to steal Kaito away from the tribe during a conversation that got Kengo to call Michal a snake._

_#2 – Taro Mitsuki mentioned a surfer lingo term while talking to Hanon: **legend**. Any surfer who is 50-yrs-old or older are considered as **legends **by the professional and the amateur/younger surfers all around. Rookie or champion, the "senior-aged" surfers are highly respected and regarded._

_#3 – For all of you who aren't very familiar with general Hawaiian language terms and trends (especially to all you fellow non-Hawaiian Americans ^^), I decided to add this note too. A **mu'umu'u** is a long flower/ocean motif printed dress, short-sleeved or strap-sleeved. They are the everyday wear of native Hawaiian women and Hawaii local women (non-Hawaiian blooded residents) and are very common all over the Hawaiian islands. They are like the more feminine complement to the famous **aloha shirts**._

_#4 – Short sidenote. While I was writing this chapter I accidentally wrote **Koichi **instead of **Kaito** for one little reason. I remembered Pink Hanamori's sidenotes in the manga that she is a major **Johnny's** fan, and being a Johnny's fan myself, it was so obvious where Hanamori-san got the name **Kaito Doumoto** from. She got the name from Johnny's pop duo **Kinki Kids **member **Koichi Doumoto**. I had a few KK CDs myself and pretty familiar with this duo (the other dude is **Tsuyoshi Doumoto** and NO, they are NOT brothers. They just happened to have the same last name) and I was actually listening to a KK CD while I was writing this chapter and ended up having Koichi's name mixed up with Kaito's. Luckily I caught that before I published this. Sorry for the mess! ^^;;_

_More to come, obviously! Please keep the reviews coming! I really appreciate it! ^_^_

**_RATED T_**_ for the VERY mild language AND slight adult situations._

_**Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch** is © 2003 Pink Hanamori and Michiko Yokote. All songs used are © respected songwriters/owners. No copyright infringement intended._


	9. Secret Surfing Spot

**RIDE THE WILD SURF  
a Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch Fanfiction**

by Adrimarie

**Secret Surfing Spot  
**

**TWO WEEKS DOWN, SIX TO GO!**_  
(OFFICIAL COUNTDOWN to the Regional Surf Scenes Tournament)_

Nicola, Lucia, and Maki stocked their supply room with all the food products for their business when huge cargo trucks came by to deliver their ordered goods. While Maki checked the inventory to be sure that all their orders arrived safely, the two sisters were at the supply room arranging the goods at their proper places with Lucia counting the items and record them on the manual worksheets. Thanks to the Pearl Waters' business activity for these past two weeks the business made major profits enough for them to do some minor repairs and retrofitting around the building, not just at the dining area and the kitchen but also at their living quarters as well.

This time they had enough money to order the freshest ingredients to present more items in to their menu. The family-recipe Seven Seas Coconut Shrimp Stew was a complete hit and even became the official favorite dish of the surf tribe. Nicola had been digging through old boxes to look for old notebooks when their late mother used to write any family recipes she remembered so she can experiment and practice these cooking techniques and add more items to their menu.

As Lucia continued to make count on the spreadsheet she ran out of space on the worksheet pad. "Hey Nicola... I think we're out of worksheets."

"Give me what you got. I have some more worksheet pads at my office. It's at the bottom drawer to the right." Nicola answered as she reviewed the worksheets Lucia filled.

"Okay, thanks!" Lucia made her way to the manager's room to look for a fresh worksheet pad.

Once Lucia arrived at the manager's room she found Rihito sitting at Nicola's desk working on the spreadsheets using the hard copies of the invoices they received, Rina at the open area of the office sweeping the floor, and Hippo dusting the furnitures. Though it was normal to see Rina and Hippo there but seeing Rihito working with the business documents and soft-copy spreadsheets was rather unusual.

"Rihito, what are you doing with the invoices? I thought that's Taro's job," Lucia wondered curiously.

Rihito gazed up towards Lucia and smiled. "Taro's out on a mission, so I'm doing his tasks for the day. Don't worry I've got some experiences working with spreadsheets before."

"On a mission? What do you mean?"

Hippo snickered as he sprayed some dust cleaner on the wood-finish bookshelf adjacent to Nicola's desk. "Some of the competitors for the tournament arrived last week so now they're here to do surf training so they can get used to the waters of our beach. Nijibe Central Beach and Kaigara Sector 5 Beach. No one from outside Nijibe arrived at Sector 7 Beach yet, so that's a good sign."

"Yeah, seriously." Rina nodded while sweeping the wooden floor with a broom and a dustpan. "I'd seriously hate to see any outsiders snaking in our beach and act like they own it. Especially those jerks at Seiyo Valley? They're gonna be so sorry if I see their asses hanging around across the street..."

"Well, okay... I know that the tournament competitors arrived recently, but what's that got to do with Taro?"

"Taro's out on a mission, I'm telling you," Rihito repeated, still finishing up the spreadsheet report for Nicola to hand in later. "Besides, it's no shock that other competitors would be hanging around all over the town to spy on their competitors, as long as they don't sabotage the opponents."

"So... are you saying Taro's out somewhere in Nijibe... spying...?"

"Spying on the competitors, dude!" Hippo cheered happily with his fists. "I heard that Seiyo Valley's surf band entries consist on two groups--- one actual band that does the instrumentals and some pop group who would the vocals. Kinda waste of money to have more than one unit in one surf scenes team if you ask me."

"No kidding," Rina snickered. "Does that mean we rule, guys?"

"Of course we rule, Rina!" Hippo exclaimed with pride. "We do instrumentals and we sing! We got the best songwriting team in this band alone! We're gonna seriously rock the competition out of stage, man! We've got _hometown advantage_, dude!"

Lucia chuckled as the other three followed the laugh. "Well anyway, I just stopped by to get another worksheet pad. Wow, we've got so much stuff in stock now after the profits we earned these past few weeks. We've earned so much and loads more people are coming to Pearl Waters too! I think it's because of the tournament being taken place here that's making Pearl Waters as busy as possible!"

"We need to hire more people then," Rina made her statement. "The more we get customers the more we're all gonna be overworked."

Lucia headed for the desk as Rihito scooted himself to the left so she can have room to look for the fresh worksheet pad. She searched the drawer Nicola specified but there was no worksheet pad found. "Okay... she said bottom drawer and it's not here..." She opened the rest of the drawers for the worksheet pads but they were still nowhere to be found.

"Okay, this is ridiculous... we can't run out of worksheet pads like that..." Lucia continued to search Nicola's desk until she stumbled upon a huge cardboard box underneath the desk. "Hey... what's this?"

Rihito looked underneath the desk and spotted the box. "No idea. It's probably office supplies or something. Maybe the worksheet pads are there." He stood up and aided Lucia by pulling out the huge cardboard box from the desk. "Okay... let's see what we have here."

The two opened the box easily as the box was not sealed. Once they opened the box they discovered something else other than office supplies. Scores of old trophies from small to big, framed certificates here and there, and old authentic photos were scattered through the box disorganized, which intrigued both Rihito and Lucia.

"What's all these...?" Rihito wondered as he reached for the trophies and the frames first before the photos underneath.

Lucia picked one small trophy and read the inscription: "_Little Miss Beach Bunny Award..._" Just as she saw the name underneath her eyes widened due to a jolt. "No... no way!"

Rihito gazed at the inscription Lucia was reading and read the name: "Cole Seahart?!"

"What?!" Hippo exclaimed in shock, overhearing Lucia and Rihito checking the contents of the huge cardboard box under the desk. "Cole Sea--- let me see that!"

Rina gasped at the same time and ran to the door and closed it gently. She turned to the others and said: "You guys better hurry up and put that box back under the desk before the Boss comes!" She peeked through the small opening of the door, keeping an eye to be sure no one was coming their way while the three snooped through the box's contents.

Hippo picked a medium-sized trophy and read: "_Junior Gorgeous Gidget of the Year: Cole Seahart..._"

"_National Amateur All-Girl Surfing Tournament First Place: Shortboard Division--- Cole Seahart_." Lucia read another trophy inscription.

"_Junior Regional All-Girl Surfing Championships First Place: Shortboard and Longboard Division--- Cole Seahart._" Rihito read a slightly larger trophy's inscription.

As the three read more inscriptions of each trophy in the box it was clear to the three that the trophies stored in the cardboard box all belonged to the mysterious surfing legend Cole Seahart. The entire room began to wonder what Cole Seahart's connection and disappearance was towards the Nanami Family. In fact, the first question that all four of them would ask was...

"How come Nicola has all of Cole Seahart's trophies and certificates and...?" Hippo asked the question loudly as he dug through the box and found a series of article clippings from magazines and newspapers as well as magazine photos and pin-ups. There were also framed photos of random surfers as well. He pulled them all out and gazed at the photos. The photos even made the ones present in the office a lot more startled than what they saw on the trophies' inscriptions.

"They're all... they're all... hey... this girl looks a bit like Nicola... and she's got a wetsuit on and a bathing suit on and she's even balancing herself on a surfboard? She looked really happy and cheerful then. But I thought Nicola hated surfing... or the beach even?" Hippo made a comment as he went through the clips and pin-ups. "I just realized something... how did Nicola end up in magazine photos and pin-ups?"

"Maybe that's Nicola's secret, Hippo, that's why she doesn't want us to talk about Cole Seahart under this roof!" Lucia gasped and made her theory. "Maybe Nicola and Cole Seahart were best friends or something? I mean how come Nicola has all of her trophies? Maybe Cole Seahart died and promised Cole she'd keep her stuff...?"

"Not all trophies are here... Most..." Rihito corrected the siblings. "Cole Seahart's trophy from the Regional Surfing Championships Tournament Female Division is missing... the 65-feet wild surf ride she made a record on that made her the winner of the championships seven years ago--- is missing."

"Well, still!" Hippo exclaimed. "How come Nicola hid all of Cole Seahart's trophies in her office? Something weird is going on here..."

Just as Lucia was about to make her comment Rina hushed the three: "Guys! The Boss is coming! Hurry!"

"Oh snap!" Rihito exclaimed as he, Lucia, and Hippo quickly brought back all the Cole Seahart memorabilia inside the box and placed it back under the desk. Hippo ran back to the area where he was dusting and Lucia opened one drawer and continued to look for a new worksheet pad.

When Nicola arrived she noticed the four just minding their own business while Lucia lifted herself from behind the desk. "There you are, Nicola! I can't find a fresh worksheet anywhere!"

"Hm? Really?" Nicola headed to her desk to check on the bottom drawer to the right. "That's strange..." She checked all the other drawers and other closets and cabinets around the office, but still no sign of the worksheet pads. "That's odd... I guess I ran out." She scratched her head in curiosity and shrugged her arms. "Well, I guess I'll have to go to the office supplies store later and buy some more."

"May I suggest something, Boss?" Rihito interrupted with a question.

"What is it, Rihito?" Nicola asked curiously.

"Why not purchase a netbook or even a _Blackberry_ phone so instead of wasting paper using standard worksheet pads you can just punch in the numbers on a spreadsheet form and upload it in to the main system's database here?"

Nicola smiled and crossed her arms. "That would be such an awesome idea... now if I can afford to spend 40,000 Yen or so to buy one then inventory counting would be a lot easier and faster."

"I'll buy one! I'll donate one!" Rihito immediately proposed an idea.

"Rihito, I'm not paying you to work here and yet you still insisted to contribute something for the restaurant. It's unfair for me to let you do that when I can't even pay you---"

Rihito shook his head. "Don't worry about me, Boss. I don't mind spending 40,000 Yen or so for a small netbook. Consider it as a gift of appreciation for letting me work here for free."

Nicola was speechless and just could not say no for an answer. "Alright, Rihito. I guess it's alright. But I'll definitely keep in mind that I need to repay you somehow for your kindness."

Rihito finished what he needed to do and saved the file in the system. He still smiled at Nicola. "Well if you insist paying me back, take your time with it. I'm not expecting a payback right away."

"Thanks, Rihito. You really are a sweetheart!" Nicola patted Rihito on the shoulder and was about to leave the office. She turned to the others with a smile on her face. "Thanks for keeping my office spic and span. We're almost done with the inventory and we've got about three hours to re-decorate the entire dining area. Taro and I have been talking these past weeks and he still insisted we fill the walls with pictures and pin-ups of the region's greatest surfers as well as our prominent local surfers too--- All Nijibe-based."

Lucia gasped in awe and turned to Nicola. "You mean--- you'll also have Kaito's pictures on the wall too?"

"Ah, that's one thing I needed to ask you today. I almost forgot to ask you this. I would love to post Kaito's images on the wall at Pearl Waters too, but I need his permission. I don't know him that well but you're the closest to him among us, so when you have time later today, could you ask him and see if he's okay with us posting pin-ups and photos of him on our wall?"

Lucia felt her heart jolt through her. She felt a lot more guilty than ever. She had not spoken to Kaito for the past two weeks ever since that night. She missed him very much deep inside but at the same time she was a bit nervous and scared to face Kaito again after what she said to him when he made that one hurtful accusation against her. Though that may be the case she was relieved that she was able to finish the zipper re-stitching of his favorite sweatshirt last night. She made sure it was tight, clean, and secure that it would not easily rip from the main fabric. On the other hand, two weeks was too long to wait. She needed to gather up her courage to come up to him and apologize. She cannot afford to wait longer than two weeks due to the tournament.

"Sure. I'll go find him at the beach today." Lucia answered immediately. "In fact I should... right now. Since we can't really finish the inventory count."

Nicola smiled and patted her younger sister on the shoulder. "Don't worry about the inventory. I'll just ask Maki to help me out instead."

Rina raised her hand to volunteer. "I'll go with her, Boss, in case she chickens out---"

Lucia quickly covered Rina's mouth and smiled nervously towards her sister. "Um... what she meant to say is that she's gonna come with me because she has other important things to talk about with the surfer boys, you know? Heh..."

Nicola raised an eyebrow of curiosity and shrugged her arms afterwards. "Alright, Lucia, Rina. Make sure you ladies come back when it's opening time!"

"Thanks, Boss!" Rina was already finished with the floor and took the mop and dustpan out. "Come on, Lucia, let's go."

Meanwhile at the beach, it was another typical surf day for the surfers and the beach bums around. At the same time all of Nijibe's regular beach bums were occupying the entire Sector 7 beach, enjoying the morning sun and heat while getting themselves tanned. It turned out that the competitors who came from all around the region were assigned to have a designated beach for the surfers to train per team. This was good news for the Nijibe locals knowing there would not be any invaders or snakes muscling in the beach and cause trouble.

As of last week, Hanon had been hanging out at the beach with the surfer boys as well as Sara, Seira, Coco, Noel, and Caren for one reason. After she learned two weeks ago that Nagisa wanted her to be his tandem surfing partner instead of being the beach babe for the beauty pageant. Though she had no idea what on earth tandem surfing was she accepted Nagisa's offer anyway. It was only because she would get involved with the tournament with all of her favorite people from Kaito and the surf tribe to her friends Lucia, Rina, the surfer girl waitresses of Pearl Waters, and the rest of the OC-5.

At the same time Hanon wanted to know what was up with Kaito after he had not spoken to Lucia for the past two weeks since that night. While Gaito and Sara had been training Nagisa and Hanon the very difficult and dangerous sport of tandem surfing she also acted as a temporary bodyguard for Kaito against her former friends of the Rainbow Pop Girls clique and any hardcore Kaito Doumoto fanatic who may come near him. She tried to do the same with Rihito's younger sister Michal, but somehow Michal was able to bypass Hanon's defenses.

Lucia was not the only one who missed Kaito for not seeing him and speaking to him for the past two weeks. The surfer boy uncharacteristically had been wiping out constantly whenever he caught a good wave. His rather inconsistent rides for the past two weeks had been a major concern for Gaito and the rest of the surf tribe, but knowing Kaito for the longest time they knew that his focus was not on his ride but rather on something else. His best friends, Daichi and Kengo, felt that Kaito needed to have another _one-week girlfriend _to get himself going. Masahiro and Nagisa, on the other hand, still felt that his little _moon _stint with Lucia was what was in his mind while he was out riding his surf.

Kaito was not used to apologizing to a girl. He never had in his whole life except his late mother, his late grandmother, or any one of his aunts. Not even with this _one-week girlfriends_, Hanon included. He always felt that he was always right when it comes to relationships and that any girl he ended up with never really cared about how he felt but rather his looks and his skills and his reputation. He already knew that whoever he ended up with would leave him if he ever ended up losing his niche in surfing or if his reputation sank down. That was why as of late he was conscious with the girl he dated and gave him the limit of one week to get to know the real girl.

After three months of not having a _one-week girlfriend _he met a longtime classmate with a rather not-too-popular reputation named Lucia Nanami. Sure, she did not have the fashion model-type of look, but she was quite cute. He could see that she deserved a nice guy who would be good and loving to a girl like Lucia. But considering that she loved surfing and loved to talk about surfing he also thought that Lucia may want to have a surfer boy for a boyfriend. But in reality and in generally speaking, most surfer dudes were not exactly the faithful-type of guy. They would only spot their types of girls on the beach and in bikinis no doubt. Who would be a nice surfer dude who would be good and loving? Masahiro Hamasaki, maybe? He would be the type, but considering he may have a thing for tomboy Rina Touin his name was out of the question. And then there were his best friends, Kengo and Daichi. The problem with those two was that they would like to have a nice girl who wears wild bikinis at the beach and obviously Lucia would not be that type of girl. In fact, Kaito also did not trust any one of the two with girls like her anyway.

Kaito still had the guilty feeling for the past two weeks for what he said to Lucia. Of course she was not pretending that she knew a lot about surfing just to hit on him because she even sang about surfing and was even a member of a surf band so awesome as the OC-5. Why would she be singing about surfing if she was pretending she knew a lot about surfing? That was just plain impossible. She admitted she did not know how to surf because no one taught her how to surf, but at least she was honest about that part.

He knew that he was not doing well with his recent rides for the past two weeks because of his small argument with Lucia that one night. He admitted that he really did have a good time that night and deep within he also loved the _surfer moon _song that he and Lucia made up that night. What he wanted to know was why he was trying to be all cool and play things off when he could not even admit that he liked anything Lucia would come up, such as making up a song about the moon from their heads. In fact, he knew deep within that he liked anything Lucia was: She can sing, write songs about anything on top of her head, most especially surfing. She was knowledgeable about the sport of surfing spot on and he can tell that she does have a broad knowledge. She can even sew from friendship bracelets to minor clothing repairs and alterations. And like him during his childhood, Lucia can play the guitar quickly even if it was a rhythm guitar. There were other things he noticed about her. The girls he ended up meeting already made moves on him during the first few days of getting to know each other. All that Lucia did was talk about surfing, surfing, surfing, and more surfing. The song they even made up that one night was not even about falling in love but it was about the full moon with some surfing accent in to it. He did not recall her giving him some hints that she was interested in him. He could not even figure her out or what her real motives were. Normally it was easy for him to read what was in that girl's mind, which also included Hanon and most especially Michal. Sure, Michal was a nice girl and the fact that she was Rihito's sister, but the way she acted around him made it obvious to him that she wanted to be more than just having a _little sister-big brother _relationship with him. Though she was only a year younger than he was there was something in Michal that was missing that would probably hook him to her.

Lucia, on the other hand, her rather quirky personality and attitude with people truly shielded her innermost thoughts and Kaito just could not seem to truly read her. It was probably because of this fact that got him interested in her. Maybe it was because that they only had a chance to get to know each other for two days personally and even if the second day ended badly with empty accusations he still hoped he would get to see her and talk to her again. Normally when he would make accusations like that to any girl she would immediately admit to it, but that night Lucia did make a point then. He still did not know who she was as a person. She only knew her as a surfing enthusiast, a friendship bracelet tailor, and a freestyle singer who was also a rhythm guitarist of a local surf band named OC-5. That was the first time that he admitted to himself that his accusations were wrong, that he acted poorly right at her, and the one thing he did not want to end up doing with nice, simple girls like Lucia. He made her cry (according to Masahiro and Nagisa after that small argument anyhow), which also meant he hurt her feelings unintentionally.

At that moment while he continued to ponder about Lucia, Kaito maneuvered his board forward once the wave he was riding was slowly rolling down back to the ocean. He had to catch up to the wave's speed so he may end up reaching land. Just as he found the view of the shore from where he was riding he began to scan the shore to see if Lucia was there, standing still and watching him have one of his best rides. Unfortunately, like the last fourteen days, the girl he hoped would shout out _Ride! _to him was not present.

_Where are you, Lucia? Why don't I see you anymore?_ And just with that thought, he found himself losing balance and the speedy wave rolled on him, wiping him out from his board.

"Ugh... not again..."

Kaito swam quickly to his board and clung himself on to it. He got on to the board and paddled back to the shore. It was another disappointing ride for him and he had nothing or no one else to blame for his poor ride but himself. Once he reached the shore he spotted Gaito, Sara, Nagisa, Hanon, Seira, Masahiro, Daichi, Kengo, Coco, Caren, and Noel looking very shocked right at him. Yes, he thought to himself. _I screwed up... again._

"This is the umpteenth time you wiped out of your best rides for the past two weeks, Kaito." Gaito spoke with a serious tone to his twin brother as Kaito stood up from his board and reached the sand. He stuck his surfboard through the sand and sat on the sand, resting himself against the standing board. "We're getting a little worried about you, man."

"What of it, G?" Kaito shouted with a glare on his eyes. "Like everyone else in this world I'm not perfect! I don't always get perfect rides all the time!"

"Yo, calm down, dude!" Masahiro exclaimed as the entire tribe stopped what they were doing then and sat around in a circle with him. "Okay, I know not everyone else knows what the hell's going on with you during these past two weeks, man, but I'm gonna go ahead and take a guess."

"Me too! I'll take a guess too!" Nagisa raised his hand.

"Me three! Can't forget me!" From out of the blue Hanon also did the same as Nagisa.

"Oh God... This, I gotta hear..." Kaito shook his head and raised an eyebrow at the three.

The three blurted out their guess simultaneously right at the sarcastic surfer boy: "You miss Lucia Nanami, don't you?"

"GAH!" Kaito was startled enough to hit his back against his standing board, which caused him and the board to fall down on their backs. He recovered and sat back up to his original position. "What--- what the hell? Where'd you get that idea from? I don't have time to be all sad and missing some girl I'm not interested in---"

"Heh... talk all you want, man!" Nagisa snickered, nudging Kaito on his side. "But your eyes and your twitching body and even your soul are saying something else!"

"That's right!" Hanon gave a huge grin and pointed her finger right at Kaito. "You miss Lucia! Stop denying it, Kaito Doumoto! I can see it in your eyes! I'll even go further to saying you're even _in love _with her!"

"You read too much _shoujo manga_, Hanon... You need to cut that habit and wake up to reality!" Kaito retorted right back at Hanon for the statement she made. "In love? I don't have time to fall in love! Why the hell would I want to miss a girl who's a major fanatic of the moon that she'd even sing a song for it?!"

Masahiro shook his head with a slight smirk on his face. "Kaito, your _moon _excuses are getting to be really old. You may be slick and smooth around girls but you can't use the same trick on your surf tribe, dude. Even Kengo and Daichi here can even see that you're lying through your teeth."

"We do...?" Kengo asked Daichi curiously while his friend slapped him at the back of his head. "OW!"

"Yeah, Kengo. We _do_." Daichi grinned.

"Unless you mean to say that your codename for Lucia is the moon!" Masahiro continued with his statement with the surfer girls giggled.

"Oh shut up, Hamasaki! You assume too much about me. What the hell is wrong with y'all?"

Masahiro and Nagisa gave fist-pumps on each other with snickers on their faces while Hanon continued grinning. From out of the blue Sara joined in the conversation. "Kaito, there is nothing wrong with having a little crush on a nice and pretty girl like Lucia Nanami. I would call it irony and foreshadowing too. Sure you had your little flings with the town's hottest teen girls in the past but when you're in love with one certain special person, the entire feeling is completely different. That's how I feel when I think about your twin, Kaito."

Kaito raised an eyebrow towards Sara and then instantly glared right at his twin brother, who was giving a hint of smile on his face. Gaito spotted his brother's suspicious look at him and returned his reaction with an eyebrow raised.

"Don't look at me, Kaito. I didn't say anything."

"No, but I do know you're _thinking _the same thing as everyone else, G!"

Gaito sighed and lowered his head. "Alright. You got me. I also think you're _in love _with the Nanami girl, but I can't help it, Bro! She's perfect for you. I even told you beforehand! I had a feeling she'd make a perfect girlfriend for you!"

"What the hell... what are you all now--- matchmakers?"

"But you and her would look so cute together!" Seira giggled happily. "And when you do end up together with her you can have me have her hook me up with her adorable brother!" She giggled even more and began to daydream about her crush, Hippo Nanami. "Hippo Nanami gets so gorgeous and hot when he gets all sarcastic..." While daydreaming Nagisa stared at his ex-girlfriend friend and shook his head at her.

Unaware of who may be present at the beach there were a few people outside the surf tribe who did overhear a few of the conversation. The only problem at this point was that those who overheard the surf tribe's conversation were rather startled and felt a major jolt within them as they only paid attention to one statement they gathered.

"Did you hear that? Kaito Doumoto is in love!"

The rumor spreading began with the Kaito Doumoto fan girls whose devoted members had been disguisting themselves as regular beach bums sitting around and getting themselves tanned as long as they were close to Kaito whenever he was resting. They passed on this one statement to their fellow fan girls and without even realizing it this particular statement even reached the male beach bums and even right towards the Rainbow Pop Girls clique. The statement continued to spread from the Rainbow Pop Girls to the female regular beach bums, up to the point where the word also reached Michal Amagi, who had been at a secluded area of the beach studying with her private tutor.

"What's that? Did you hear that? Kaito Doumoto is in love... oh gosh!" Michal shrieked in surprise as she found herself blushing and covering her cheeks at the same time.

"Miss Michal," her private tutor called her, "you really need to concentrate on your studies right now..."

"But don't you understand?" Michal continued on with her excitement. "My beloved Kaito must be in love with me! I knew it! I just knew it!"

"Erm... Miss Michal... Surely without proof how can we know for---"

"Kaito is _in love _with me, you hear?" Michal gave the expression to her private tutor with a rather desperate look. The private tutor sighed and confirmed her assumption.

The word continued to spread and this time the word had escaped the beach and now at the street of Kaigara Boulevard. Majority of the females were getting excited with cheers and eeks hearing this particular rumor, knowing that it could be one of them and also knowing that they already had no chance to be with him. Apparently those who gathered that statement did not pay attention to the mystery girl's name, nor the reactions of the rest of the surf tribe at the same time.

At that time, Lucia and Rina exited Pearl Waters with Lucia carrying a large bag on her shoulder, in which her freshly-washed, neatly folded Kaito's sweatshirt and her free copy of _Surfer Styles _magazine with the award-winning Kaito Doumoto in action pinup that earned her brother Hippo a spot in their professional surf photography division. She appeared with her usual t-shirt and knee-length shorts with her beach slippers, while Rina appeared in a still plain white polo top but was now wearing denim shorts.

Just as the two girls were about the cross the street they were interrupted by the three strange girls who called themselves the Gaito Doumoto Fan Club with serious eyes on their faces. "Uhh... can we help you...?" Lucia asked the girls nervously.

Izuru stood in front of the two and answered: "Well, let's just say... it's more of like _what we can do for you_!"

Lucia turned to Rina and Rina shrugged her arms. Lucia turned to them and asked: "Who are you girls?"

"Oh!" Maria exclaimed and pushed Eriru out of the way. It looked like Eriru had been randomly dancing wildly all over the place. "Well, we are the official Gaito Doumoto Fan Club, but we are also his personal informants. Anyway, we have a short little message for you---"

"Our beloved idol's twin brother is in love!" From out of the blue, Eriru stopped twisting her body and giggled her message.

"Wait..." Rina answered curiously. "Are we talking about Kaito here? In love? Really?"

"That's what everyone's saying right now," Izuru said with a sigh. "Now the entire female population of this town are going bananas, thinking that the lucky girl would be them. But yes, according to the surf tribe's excitement with Kaito's recent wipe out problems for the past two weeks the surf tribe had determined that he is indeed in love with someone..."

"No!" From out of the blue Lucia exclaimed in shock while gripping on to the handle of her bag. "He... he can't be in love in just two weeks... he... he just can't! I know because he never falls in love!"

"But... but... even the surf tribe thinks he's in love!" Maria exclaimed in a rather hopeful expression. "It's about time too! At least our beloved Gaito has moved on and now has the lovely Sara Iria... it's about time the player twin brother finally gets serious about having a romantic relationship with someone."

"The problem is!" Eriru continued on with her babble and placed her arms around Izuru and Maria. "The problem is--- see--- whoever heard this didn't even hear who the lucky girl is, so now every single girl we've passed by are thinking that the lucky girl is themselves! This town is crazy!"

Lucia felt both fear and nervousness. Just as she was ready to apologize to Kaito openly she just had to hear this. Rina gently nudged her on the side and spoke:

"Lucia, don't think too seriously about this. It's just a rumor some idiot may have overheard from the surf tribe. It'll take a long while for Kaito to actually fall in love, since he has never fallen in love before and he'd been doing this _one-week girlfriend _thing for the past two years according to Hanon. Besides, you can't let rumors get to you." Rina placed her hand on to her friend's shoulder. "If you really want to find the real truth, then ask Kaito yourself. I'm guessing but I think you and he may probably have shared intimate secrets with each other already so I'm pretty sure he'll be honest with you."

"You're right!" Lucia said, clutching her fist at the same time. "I know I was rude and mean to Kaito those two weeks but I have to be brave!" _It's more of like... I'm deeply in love with Kaito and true love also involves trust and belief. I believe with what Kaito would say instead of what the rumors say, simply because not everyone in this town knows who the real Kaito is..._

"Well, shall we head to the beach now, Lucia?" Rina asked with a smile on her face.

"You bet!" The two girls headed across the street and right at the beach to meet with Kaito and the surf tribe.

Right when they reached the sidewalk pavement leading to the sand Lucia stopped immediately while Rina was about to walk ahead. Rina turned her head to see Lucia's back turned to her. "Hey! Lucia, what are you doing?"

"I... I can't..." Lucia murmured with her body slightly shaking in nerviness. "This is all my fault..."

Rina approached her and placed her hand on her shoulder. "What is it now, Lucia? I thought you're excited to see Kaito again..."

"I stopped coming to the beach for two weeks and now Kaito met another girl and now he's in love---"

Rina dashed in front of Lucia and placed both her hands on her shoulders. "Lucia, look up. Don't tell me you're gonna believe all that rumor crap now, are you? They're just rumors--- doesn't mean they're true. Remember what we talked about? When it's rumors, the best thing for you to know the real truth is to head to the real source. That means you have to talk to Kaito about it--- no one else except him, got that?"

Lucia sighed deeply and slowly nodded her head. "Now come on, snap out of it! Let's go." Rina placed her arm around her as she escorted the nervous girl right at the beach.

Once they got to the area not too far to the shore the girls looked around the area to see if there were any signs of Kaito or anyone else in the surf tribe nearby. After a few moments of scanning Rina spotted an area with surfboards stuck through the sand. She also spotted Sara and the surfer girls at that area as well. Quickly she nudged Lucia on the side.

"We found them. Let's go."

"Rina, I'm not ready---"

"Yes, you are, Lucia. Come on!" Rina dragged Lucia by the sleeve of her shirt as they proceeded towards the surf tribe's spot.

"Rina--- wait--- Rina!" Just at a short distance the surfer girls, Sara, Seira, and Hanon already spotted Rina approaching while dragging Lucia by her sleeve. As the girls meet up with Rina and Lucia, the boys still continued to tease Kaito with Lucia.

"Well, okay... I admit... Nanami's kinda cute but her weirdness still tops over her cuteness." Daichi made his statement, then nudged Kaito from his left. "But man, you better keep Lucia away from the upcoming tournament. You don't want those losers from Seiyo Valley muscling through our beach, spot her, and start hitting on her. Besides, we gotta protect our chicks from snakers like them, especially that Sakiya dude and that other dude who hangs out with him!"

"Ugh!" Kengo shrieked in disgust. "What's that dude's name? Kawamoto dude..."

"Johnny Kawamoto?" Kaito asked curiously.

"YEAH! HIM!" Both Daichi and Kengo exclaimed with disgusted looks on their faces. "Aside from Sakiya that dude Kawamoto's the worse when it comes to chicks!"

"Will you two calm down?" Kaito raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "Sure, they're rivals in surfing but it's not like we hate each other and all that. We're all good sports... Though I gotta agree with you guys when it comes to the babes. Once they see some cute girl they'll go for the kill..."

"Our concern here is," Nagisa joined in the conversation, "Lucia Nanami can be one of those _babes _you're talking about, Kaito! Sure she's like... not much to most of us dudes but she can be a potential target to those surfer players, man!'

Kaito began to have some suspicion that the boys in the surf tribe may have something else in mind other than dealing with the rivals. "So... what exactly are you trying to tell me here?"

"Dude, are you like stupid or something?" Masahiro joined in with concerned looks on his face. "Unless you don't care, Kaito, we can't have our _team contact _be picked up by those guys. In other words, the only way for us to be able to protect Lucia is for you to convince those dudes that she is your girl!"

Kaito shouted right at his friends: "Why me? Why don't you dudes do it? Why is it when it comes to some lonely girl I have to be responsible?"

"Oh come on, Kaito!" Daichi exclaimed in desperation. "All of us are taken, man! Your twin's got Sara, Hamasaki's got the Touin tomboy, Nagisa's got Hanon, Kengo and I got the hot twins--- or Coco even--- and you've got the entire girl population of this town, dude!"

"Hell no!" Kaito exclaimed with a frown on his face. "Not only that I don't wanna do it, but Lucia wouldn't be interested in this little game that you guys are planning on me either. Besides... I'm not exactly her type---"

"Really, Kaito?" Masahiro began to question Kaito's reasoning. "Do you know exactly what type of guy Lucia likes?"

Kaito found himself lost at thought and began to think. "Well... uh... not really... but with a nice girl like her I'm pretty sure she would want a nice guy for her boyfriend..."

"But Kaito, you _are _a nice guy!" Nagisa cheered with a smile on his face. "You're not like cruel and mean to her like how you treat your previous _one-week exes_ except the ever lovely Hanon--- we all think Hanon's the smartest of all your exes because she actually moved on--- but aside from Hanon, we're talking about a girl who supports the entire surf tribe and all other leveled surfers here. It's not often that we see a non-beach bunny girl who'd run out to the shore shouting _ride the wild surf, dudes! _to all the surfers out at the ocean! I mean just that call gets us surfers stoked, man!"

"Man," Daichi sighed. "I'd love to get a girl who'd shout out stuff like that while I'm out riding my surf, yo! But in Nijibe, Nanami is the only girl who does that... and she's not exactly _beach babe _material, you know?"

Kengo turned to Gaito, who had been listening but not exactly joining in the conversation. "Are you hearing this, Gaito?"

Gaito nodded and acknowledged. "Yeah, I'm listening. I'm just not saying anything."

"Because I can tell by the way he's thinking that he's making fun of me too." Kaito added with a suspicious look on his eyes. "On the other hand, I'm not worried about Lucia."

Masahiro and Nagisa gasped in shock to hear Kaito making that statement. "What? You don't care about Lucia? You're cruel!"

"Yo! I didn't say that to be cruel, dudes!" Kaito glared directly towards the two. "I only said that because I know those Seiyo Valley surfer dudes. Lucia never wears bikinis at the beach and those two only pay attention to girls who do. They'll ignore her easily. And she's not helpless. She proved it to me before. She's not afraid of anything. And uh... if it makes you all happy... I like brave girls--- cute and brave girls... and she doesn't suck up, you know?"

"Aww... you boys still talk about that certain cute girl?" From behind, the girls returned, with Sara interrupting their small gossip. "And you guys say that us girls gossip a lot..."

The boys slowly turned to the girls, with Rina standing behind them and Lucia standing at a slightly further distance from them. "Welcome back, honeys!" Kengo and Daichi greeted them with winks on their faces.

Hanon giggled and stepped up front. "Oh Kaito... guess who's heeere!"

Kaito's eyes opened wide and quickly gazed right at Hanon. "Hanon, I ain't kidding this time. Stop playing around. I get it. You like to make fun of me---"

The girls turned behind and noticed Lucia was not with them. Rina sighed and found Lucia standing further from where they were standing. She walked up to the shy Lucia and dragged her again by the arm.

"Stop running away, Lucia! It's not gonna work this time!" Rina warned her as she continued to drag her to the surf tribe's spot.

"No, Rina... I'm just being respectful! Uh... I don't think Kaito would want to see me. I mean he's probably going to run away once he sees---" Just as she was about to finish her complaint she shrieked in a jolt once she saw Kaito and the boys standing right next to the girls. She continued to struggle to let her arm go but Rina's rather _manly _grip made it impossible for her to escape. "Rina..."

At that time, the two pairs of chocolate brown eyes of Lucia and Kaito found each other. Once their eyes met, a blissful yet invisible tune played all around the atmosphere. It seemed that the voices of the ocean, the waves, the seagulls flying around the beach, and the sea creatures sang an a capella that depicted the spirit of a budding beach side romance. This invisible tune made it seem like the two young beachsters had not seen each other for so many years. Even if that was the case, neither Lucia nor Kaito were able to say a single word.

"Hey!" From behind, Hanon shouted at the two. "Say something! We're _dying _to hear what you two have to say to each other!"

Rina nudged on Lucia's arm with a smile. "Come on, Lucia. You're even prepared for this. You two haven't seen each other for the past two weeks. Come on now... say something!"

"I... I..." Lucia was able to speak a few words, even if it was only one letter.

"Come on, Kaito, you're the man of the day, dude!" Kengo shouted from behind. "Aren't you going to make moves on the pretty young thing?"

Kaito turned to the entire surf tribe with an annoyed expression. "Do you mind? Only reason why I can't say anything and she can't say anything because all of you are staring at us! This ain't no free show, man! Now get out!"

Masahiro's eyebrow raised with a frown. "Yo, why do _we _have to leave? This is our spot! We can stay and hang around here whenever we want!"

Before things could get worse, Lucia stepped in with her nervous response and gulped nervously. "Um... maybe this is a bad time... I'll head out right now---"

"Lucia, wait!" Kaito called for her, which instantly made Lucia freeze at her spot. "Please... stay." He turned to the rest of the surf tribe and others involved and shouted: "Everybody else, leave! You got surfing practice to do!"

The surfer boys with the exception of Gaito moaned and frowned while the girls happily dragged the boys away . Rina patted Lucia on the shoulder and smiled. "Guess you're on your own now, Lucia." She turned to Kaito and said: "Take care of Lucia, would you? Go easy on her..."

"Rina, wait!" Lucia tried to stop Rina from leaving but the tall long-haired beauty called for Masahiro to discuss about the _other event _which she had not yet revealed to any one of the girls as of yet.

After everyone at their spot cleared out Kaito and Lucia sat at the beach blankets surrounded by surfboards stuck through the sand. Once they settled themselves, Lucia gulped nervously in order to keep calm and cool while being alone with Kaito. "I... I guess I came at the wrong time..."

"No!" Kaito exclaimed with his hand holding on to Lucia's arm. "Stay for awhile... I haven't seen you in two weeks."

Lucia sighed deeply and lowered her head. "I'm so sorry, Kaito. I was horrible to you those two weeks... I didn't mean what I said about you being... self-centered and conceited... it's just that..."

"No, you're right about that." Kaito interrupted and sighed. "I should be the one to apologize. I don't know what came over me. I know you weren't pretending to be someone you're not or act like you know everything about the sport I love just to get my attention. And you're right about me not knowing who you really are. I feel like a total jerk saying all that to you."

Lucia gave a small smile to herself and turned to him. "Kaito, thank you. You see... I've spent these past two weeks rehearsing with OC-5... and also... this..." She opened her bag and reached inside for Kaito's navy blue zipper sweatshirt with the zipper re-stitched securely and also freshly laundered, good as new. "After what happened I had a feeling that you'd probably want your sweatshirt back right away so I worked on it and made sure that it's sewn securely and that the zipper works and did some other testing with it. I thought you didn't want anything to do with me anymore so before I forget---"

Kaito slowly took the sweatshirt from Lucia and checked the newly-sewn zipper on the fabric. He even detected a faint light flowery scent of the detergent from the sweatshirt knowing that Lucia washed the clothing clean before she returned it to him. The like-new quality of the sweatshirt made the surfer boy smile and clung on to the sweatshirt to him. "Thank you, Lucia. The sweatshirt's like brand-new again and I like what you did with the zipper." He tested the zipper by opening it and closing it a few times. "The zipper's perfect too!"

"I made sure that everything's fixed and that the new stitch is tear-proof... you know... in case those crazy girls start ripping it off from you again..."

"Haha..." Kaito chuckled and placed the sweatshirt on his other side. "Girl-proof sweatshirt..."

Lucia joined in the laughter and slightly shrugged her arms. Afterwards the laughter ended and Lucia's expression changed. "I have one more thing for you... before I forget."

"Hm? What is it?"

She reached in her shoulder bag again for the free copy of _Surfer Styles _magazine she received from Hippo two nights ago and opened the page where the pinup was located. She already removed the pinup from the magazine carefully long ago, ready for an autograph. She pointed to the folded pinup. "Would you... sign the pinup for me? An autograph!"

Kaito took the pinup and unfolded it. He was amazed to see what type of pinup it was and just smiled. "Wow! I've never seen this one before... but I really like this one! I don't normally read surfing magazines myself but Gaito subscribes to them. Maybe he has this issue already."

"Well, Hippo took the photo and he submitted it to _Surfer Styles _magazine for a possible pinup image. I really like it. It's the best one I've seen--- not because my brother took it, but because it actually shows who you really are to the surfing world--- a world-class surfer."

"Man!" Kaito felt delight at the image itself. The shot of him with his 360 aerial really looked like he was flying up to the sky from the wave he was riding and the best part was that the image also showed just a side view of his face but the expression also showed how focused he was. "The colors really are vivid on this one... and just looking at the wetsuit I was wearing this was shot at the Northern Surfing Invitational Meet five months ago. You and Hippo were there?"

Lucia nodded with a soft chuckle. "We were there! Hippo took photos of every surfer from our town in action at that meet! He's really good with what he does but not very many people take him seriously just because he's a kid. The Rainbowside Surf Tribe rocked the ocean at that meet. You guys had the best rides ever executed out there that it seriously wowed everyone including the judges and all the rival surfers. Hippo took pictures of the other guys too and submitted them to the magazine, but you know how the media is..."

"Yeah, I know. I feel sorry for the other guys for not getting the credit they deserve, but you know, we're all cool with it. Most important part of surfing is that we're having fun with the sport and it's a lot more fun when there's more than one surfer in action. I mean Gaito gets exposure too but the other guys are only mentioned in text, not in pictures."

"Don't worry, Kaito," Lucia answered with confidence inside. "This upcoming tournament is a team sport, not an individual competition, so whoever sweeps the entire tournament the entire team will be credited--- and we'll have all our pictures together in the magazine with our names underneath! We may even get to have our own pinup with everybody in it! Then all the fans would be chasing us, wanting a piece of Kaito Doumoto, the beach babe, and the OC-5 and would ask us for our autographs! I can see it now---"

Kaito quickly placed his hand on Lucia's mouth to keep her quiet. "Whoa--- don't let your imagination run wild there, Lucia!"

Lucia giggled silently and placed her hand on her mouth, removing Kaito's hand. "Whoops... sorry!"

Kaito gazed at the pinup of himself surfing once more and smiled again. He folded the pinup and turned to Lucia. "Yo... do you mind if I... hang on to this pinup for awhile? Don't worry, I'll sign it for you. I just need to borrow the pinup for awhile..."

Lucia giggled humbly. "Sure. No problem. Take your time."

"Thanks!" He placed the pinup in his backpack securely and turned his view towards the sea. "I'll give it back, don't worry."

"No. No worries at all, Kaito."

While the two finally found their niche of their fresh relationship the entire surf tribe along with the girls were somewhere not too far from their spot hiding behind the rocks. Though Kaito ordered the tribe to leave the scene, who said they had to be present in order to listen to them?

Hanon looked rather irritated at the new conversation between Lucia and Kaito and turned away to face the rest of the team with fists tightened. "What--- what's up with this? Lucia and Kaito should be confessing each other's love for each other already! Why the heck are they still talking about surfing?"

Nagisa frowned with his arms crossed. "Seriously--- those Seiyo Valley players are gonna be arriving here soon and if they fall for Lucia they're gonna make moves on her--- Kaito should declare now that Lucia is now his girlfriend and she's not allowed to hang out with jerk-face _gassers_ like Sakiya and Kawamoto, so yeah!"

"Seriously Nagisa!" Hanon sighed, agreeing with Nagisa at the same time. "What kind of a love story is this? A girl and a boy secretly love each other shouldn't be talking about something else unrelated like--- surfing! This is so wrong!"

Masahiro shook his head and sighed at the two. "You two are expecting too much from those two. Do you seriously think those two have strong hearts to actually come forward? We don't even know how those two feel for each other and we're already assuming their feelings for each other. Besides, we shouldn't delusion ourselves or else there's gonna be some crazy rumor that may spread around town about all this too..."

"Ahem," Rina cleared her throat, slightly shifting her eyes towards Masahiro. "Oh... I wouldn't bet on that... Hamasaki..."

Hanon and Nagisa turned towards Gaito, who was busy discussing with Sara their ideas on how their tandem surfing routine would look like. The daffy girl called out to Kaito's twin: "Gaito! You have twin telepathy with Kaito, right?"

"Hm?" Gaito raised an eyebrow of suspicion while Sara also looked up after drawing quick sketches on the sand.

"You know--- you should know what Kaito's thinking about Lucia right now!" Nagisa exclaimed. "I mean--- are those two kidding me? I can tell they really like each other like bad--- and they're talking about surfing?"

Gaito got up from his seat at the sand and crossed his arms. "Who do you all think I am? I'm not an eavesdropping gossip like the rest of you! Jeez, give the poor dude and the nice girl the privacy they deserve."

"Aww..." Both Hanon and Nagisa sighed lowly when Sara softly chuckled at their reaction.

"Besides... we don't have enough time to deal with other people's business." Sara made her statement at the situation. "Nagisa, you better start hitting the gym with the guys--- build up your strength or else you and Hanon would wipe out easily once you even start lifting her. And Hanon, you have an easier job--- just try to look cute, beautiful, graceful, refined, and relaxed--- and of course, you have to trust Nagisa to like you're both in love with each other---"

"Aaah!" Hanon shrieked and turned to Nagisa, who just winked at her along with a thumbs up. "You're kidding me--- Nagisa?! Do I have to, Sara?" At the same time she had one thought in her mind. _Why Nagisa? How come Taro or Rihito aren't surfing? Darn, I wish neither of them weren't in the band... and why did I decide to do this tandem surfing thing? Simple, Hanon--- you're left out since Lucia and Rina are gonna be competing for the surf band contest with my beloveds Taro and Rihito and that kid Hippo too..._

"Do you want to _win_, Houshou? You're not going to disappoint _us _now, are you?" Gaito smirked at her reaction.

"This is a team sport, Hanon. Think of it this way," Sara continued, "Nagisa is the surfer and you're not. But see, he'll be in control of your entire ride while at the same time use all his strength to make you look good on the air. I mean, doesn't it feel to look really good and everyone would be watching your grace and beauty? That's your task, dear."

Hanon gasped in shock to listen to Sara's advice and felt a jolt of energy quickly within her. "Aaah!" She turned to Nagisa and quickly took his hands on hers. "Do your best, Nagisa! Start hitting the gym and build those muscles! No pain, no gain! Work those muscles up 'cause you're going to make _me _look beautiful in front of the world! I'm so excited! Let's work together and win this contest! Tee hee!"

Though Nagisa felt blushing on his cheeks, his goals in mind was not exactly the same as Hanon's. "Right. I'll do what I can so we can be the best coup--- so we can win... yeah!" _I was hoping you and I would get closer together and... well..._ After his brief enthusiasm with Hanon's encouragement he lowered his head and sighed.

"Then again," Kengo joined in the tandem surfing conversation with his own statement, "You know how biased everyone in the surfing media are. Kaito and whoever his partner's going to be are gonna win the tandem surfing competition, simply because it's Kaito, you know? Don't you get a little jealous or something when it comes to your twin, Gaito?"

From out of the blue Kengo's head was smacked by Gaito himself. "You fool! Don't assume what you don't know, Kengo. You may think that we're complete opposites for each other but he and I are inseparable. Jealousy? What for? When he's happy, I'm happy. And when I'm happy, he's happy. That's all there is to it!"

"Ah... I didn't mean it that way, Gaito! Sorry about that!" Kengo chuckled nervously while rubbing the back of his head slowly.

Gaito smirked as his reaction, but deep inside he knew exactly why he devoted his life to Kaito's well-being. It was a simple answer, really. He almost lost him seven years ago.

_If it weren't for that girl who saved him when that dreaded wave crashed over our boat... Kaito would have died and I would have been an orphan and on my own... I wish I stayed a little longer and took a look at that girl, then I'd be able to find her for Kaito and thank her for saving his life..._

"Hey!" Daichi hushed the others at the back. "Kaito and Lucia are changing the subject!"

"Eh?!" Hanon and Nagisa exclaimed and headed back to their spots in between the rocks again. "No more surf talk?!"

"Yeah!" Daichi snickered with a grin. "The lovely songstress Lucia is finally going to sing a song!"

"A love song!" Hanon exclaimed happily and pushed Nagisa out of the way so she could have a bigger opening to eavesdrop.

Sara stood up and joined the others in order to listen. "Now Gaito, I'm only listening because I want to hear Lucia's new song!"

Gaito shrugged and joined Sara. "Eh, why not? It's just a song..."

Just as the surf tribe began to listen, the song coming from Lucia began...

_We've got an early start_

_We're gonna have a ball_

_We're gonna ride the surf_

_Yeah, and that ain't all!_

_Nothing is greater than the sand, surf and sun there_

_I'm gonna ride my board just as soon as we get there_

_Stack 'em in the sand when the breakin's just right_

_We'll be surfin' all day and we'll be swingin' all night_

_Vacation is here--- Beach Party tonight!_

"Ah!" Hanon shrieked in shock to hear that this particular song was none other than another surfing song. "More surfing...? Will anyone here ever get sick of talking about surfing?"

"No!" The entire surf tribe responded while glaring right at the impatient girl.

Hanon sighed deeply and made another complaint. "Doesn't anyone want to fall in love in the summer anymore?"

"Hanon," Rina called from the side, "not everyone wants to fall in love in the summer. In fact, not everyone wants to fall in love period!"

"Hey!" Daichi hushed everyone once more. "They're talking again... listen!" The surf tribe fell silent again and went back to their eavesdropping.

"So," Kaito continued on with the concentration. "You're not finished with this song yet?"

Lucia shook her head. "Well, no... I only had two verses down. I hoped that maybe we can have this song completed and use it for our contest entry in the tournament." She turned her head and curled herself with her arms around her knees, gazing at the ocean with the beachsters swimming, splashing each other with water, and others surfing or learning how to surf.

"That'd be awesome if you guys did. The song's kinda... cute... except no one's going to know what on earth you're talking about except for the surfers themselves... and enthusiasts like you."

Lucia chuckled nervously and nodded in acknowledgement. "That's okay. If not that song, I got plenty of songs to use for the contest. But one of them has got to be a romance ballad. I have plenty of that too."

Kaito sighed in relief right when he heard Lucia mention the romance ballad part. "So you sing other songs too aside from surfing?"

"Yup!" Lucia nodded with a proud grin on her face. "In fact, I have more romance ballads than those silly surfing songs, heh..."

"Is that so?" Kaito snickered and slowly scooted himself closer to her, which startled Lucia right then.

"Ah--- Kaito? What...?"

"Then that's the song you'll have to sing for me, Lucia. Forget all that surfing stuff--- I'll hear them anyway from the OC-5--- and sing me a love song."

Lucia felt her conscience breaking in to small pieces, knowing that most of her so-called love songs were all declaration songs. In fact, most of those songs were all dedicated to her love for...

"Y-you want a... love song?" Lucia gulped nervously, grinning to keep herself calm.

"That's what I said. I haven't heard you sing any songs that's not related to surfing. When will you sing a song like that?"

"But... I sang about the moon two weeks ago!" Lucia tightened her fist and attempted to gather as many excuses as she can. _Oh no... he's gonna find out that I'm in love with him if I sing one of my so-called love songs..._

"Wrong--- _we _sang about the moon two weeks ago--- or have you forgotten already?" Kaito winked with a grin on his face. "I didn't get to say this to you but... I... I like our _moon _song... and we need to finish it..."

"Eeeeeehh?!" The surf tribe gasped in shock at what they just heard and then turned to each other with widened eyes.

"Hamasaki!" Nagisa whispered softly on his ear. "He wasn't kidding about her singing about the moon... maybe he wasn't kidding at all when he said that he and she had an argument over the moon..."

"That's got to be the most bizarre argument I have ever heard about then..." Masahiro whispered his response.

Hanon dashed to Rina and the rest of the girls from Pearl Waters with a desperate expression on her face. "Okay--- did Lucia ever told you guys anything about a _moon _song? Honestly, who sings about the moon these days? Has everyone gone loony around here?!"

Rina shrugged her arms as well as the three surfer girls. Hanon shook her head and shrugged her arms. "How could you do this to us, Lucia... details... that's all we want... details... and you neglect telling us about your little _moon _song with Kaito?"

The girls hushed Hanon and to lower her voice down as the eavesdropping continued. All they heard now was laughter from both Lucia and Kaito after a hilarious conversation that the eavesdroppers may have missed. After a few moments the laughter died down.

"Um..." Lucia began to break the laughter with a subject change. "When Rina and I were on our way here earlier... um... we came by those weird Gaito Fan Club girls... and they told us something... interesting..."

Kaito raised an eyebrow and slightly twitched after hearing the term of _Gaito Fan Club _from her statement. "Yeah? What about?"

"They told Rina and me that you're in love with someone..."

"Excuse me...?" Kaito's eyes widened in a startle. "In love--- where on earth did those weird chicks get that idea from?"

"Well... they said every girl around has heard and now they're thinking that it's them and they're dying to know---" Before Lucia can finish what she wanted to say, Kaito placed his hand on her mouth to keep her from talking.

"Listen... um... if you really want to know if this dumb rumor is true... I can't tell you here."

Lucia slowly placed Kaito's hand out of the way from her mouth and spoke: "Not here? How come?"

Kaito snickered and decided to speak loudly: "This is the beach, Lucia! It's open ears here and the ocean has plenty of them! That would mean that everything we talk about here echoes out through the ocean and the entire beach so nosy people like the _surf tribe _and the surfette babes would be eavesdropping on us about we're talking about--- _right?_"

At that moment Kaito turned to the huge wall of rocks where he spotted bodies through the holes in between rocks. The surf tribe shrieked in shock to learn that they were easily caught. Kaito stood up and turned towards the rock. "Nice try pretending you actually left the scene, dudes! I can hear all your complaining and whining from here!"

The surf tribe slowly show themselves with nervous looks when Kengo answered for them: "You told us to leave! You didn't exactly tell us _where _to go!" Right then, both Daichi and Masahiro slapped Kengo at the back of the head once more. "OW!"

Lucia stood up and turned to the wall and gave a wave: "Hello!"

Kaito crossed his arms right at them and said "What is wrong with you dudes? We've got to get prepared for the tournament!"

Slowly the surf tribe turned their heads towards Gaito, who was still discussing their tandem surfing routine with Sara while drawing illustrations on the sand. The couple noticed they were being stared at by the rest of the surf tribe and gazed right at them.

"Don't look at me like that." Gaito answered right at them. "I don't know a thing."

With the complaints and the arguments going back and forth between Kaito and the rest of the surf tribe, it turned out that the surf tribe were not the only ones who were eavesdropping. Not too far from where the surf tribe were hiding earlier were outside eavesdroppers. The strangest part of this was that these eavesdroppers were not Kaito Doumoto Fan Girls (or Gaito Doumoto Fan Girls for that matter) or even the Kaito-obsessed Rainbow Pop Girls clique.

"So... this is the championship-winning Rainbowside Surf Tribe of Nijibe... what a bunch of gassers..."

"What makes you say that? They're just chillin' at the beach..."

"What? No surf practice? They think they're all that by just chillin'... oh well... we'll blow them off of their own home turf when we take over their beach and this entire tournament."

"Hm... that'll be tough. These Nijibe surfers--- they gots skills, man... especially the fearsome Doumoto Twins. Those brothers are unstoppable... most especially the younger one..."

"Kaito Doumoto? Oh yeah, I heard of him. He's good, man... he's really good... but then him not talking much makes him look like a gasser too... I've never heard of a top-notch surfer _not _bragging to the media, really."

"Oh well... he's going down this upcoming tournament--- him, his twin brother, his fellow surfers, and whoever else is involved in their team. We'll show them who's the real deal in surf scene styles, dude..."

"Whoa... who's that blonde cutie next to Kaito Doumoto? Never saw her before... I wonder if she's Kaito's chick?"

"Yo, stop checking on the enemy's girl... for all we know she's a surfer girl... or a member of their surf band... or worse--- a tandem surfer--- if she's any one of the three then is she's also a foe."

"Damn... too bad... but hey... maybe she's open... if you know what I mean..."

"Who knows... you know us surfers... we always love a good fling..."

"Yeah... heh... fling..."

While these mysterious eavesdroppers continued to eavesdrop, there was another eavesdropper nearby, except this particular eavesdropper happened to be inside his vehicle, staring towards the two mysterious eavesdroppers listening in the Rainbowside Surf Tribe's affairs. As this third eavesdropper listened to the plans of these two mysterious surfers, he reached for his cellphone and dialed a particular phone number.

"_Hello, Amagi speaking..."_

"Rihito, listen. Looks like we got spies hanging around..."

"_Spies? Where?"_

"At the beach... spying on the tribe, the girls, everybody involved in the tournament. This is gonna be a problem, even if it's legal and that none of them are ripping off our stuff."

"_Hm... they may probably know about us rehearsing at Pearl Waters during closed hours if they were eavesdropping on our surfers. We need to come up with a plan."_

"I'll meet up with you at Pearl Waters behind the building. You should contact Gaito to let them know. We need to find a new place to rehearse aside from Pearl Waters. I can't risk rehearsing here with those nosy surfers around. For all you know they're from the Seiyo Valley team or something."

"_Thanks for the heads up. I'll let Hippo know too. I have a feeling this is also OC-5 related too."_

"No problem. Will be there."

Taro Mitsuki hung up his cellphone as he drove his pick up truck back to Pearl Waters and parked at the back of the building.

*********

_A voice of a fourteen-year-old teenage surfer girl cried out to a prominent and popular tandem surfing couple once they were able to take the ocean at a major surfing tournament that took place at the Kaigara Boulevard Sector 7 Beach. This was the highly-anticipated tandem surfing championships where the coolest, most beautiful, and the most recognized surf couples from all around the region gather together, not just to compete, but to wow and awe and entertain the spectators all over the beach with their strength, grace, beauty, and the true integrity of the sport of surfing. Surfing can be shared by two people, presenting their love, dedication, and trust to each other, to their fellow surfers from the singles to the couples, and towards the sport itself. Sure, there were the hotdogger surfer boys and surfer girls all surfing fans always looked forward too, but to the truest, most hardcore surfers and surfing enthusiasts all around, tandem surfing was the major event of every major open tournament, not just on certain regions, but in any country around the world who know what the sport of surfing truly consisted of._

_The young surfer girl ran to this tandem surfing couple who had an important message to give to them before they paddle out on the ocean in order to perform their tandem surfing technique. She tugged on the male tandem surfer as she got his attention. "Please--- change your board!"_

_The male tandem surfer gazed at the young surfer girl: "Change our board? We already decided what board to use!"_

"_But--- the ocean conditions--- look at it! It's like there's a storm coming in! If you don't change your boards you'll... you'll..."_

"_What's going on here?" The female tandem surfer turned to the conversation between her partner and the teen surfer girl. "What's wrong?"_

"_Please!" The surfer girl turned to the female tandem surfer with concern on her face. "Please listen to me, just this once! I heard from Hi-Mack and T-Mack about the predicted ocean currents right now! I mean look at the ocean! It's roaring mad like it wants to wipe out the entire town! None of the judges and the officials would wanna listen to me when I asked them to postpone the competition because the breakers are just too dangerous to ride on. Please... please... if there won't be a postponement at least change your board. Use a tandem gun board!"_

_The male tandem surfer bent down to the surfer girl while the female tandem surfer stood behind the surfer girl and placed her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Honey... you did wonderful out there earlier today. You've already proven yourself that you can take on the 'giant wave monster' on your own. You made us and the rest of the surfing world look really good. You've set yourself a record."_

"_Besides," the female tandem surfer smiled and gave a peck on the surfer girl's cheek. "If you can do it, your father and I can do it as well."_

_The surfer girl sighed deeply with more worry. "But that's just it! I was by myself when I rode that wild surf. And there's two of you--- plus you have to do your tricks too. I... I don't know if you'll make it--- let alone getting wiped out--- at least you'd be landing safely in water... but with that wave like that..."_

_The tandem surfing couple embraced the surfer girl with smiles on their faces, comforting their worrying daughter. The girl felt tears falling from her eyes when the male tandem surfer wiped off her tears._

"_What did I tell you? No surfer cries no matter how much it hurts. You were brave out there earlier and I know you can be brave and strong when your mother and I are out there. We'll win this competition so we can join your victory today. Just watch us, okay?"_

_The female tandem surfer turned around to see a group of familiar young men from teenagers older than the surfer girl to the ones twenty and over. He waved at one of them and the young man about the age of seventeen or eighteen approached the female tandem surfer._

"_Hi-Mack," the female tandem surfer called for the young man by his surf nick. "Watch over Cole when we're away, will you?"_

_The teenage Hi-Mack gave a one-finger salute to the tandem couple, keeping the promise. He turned to the surfer girl, named Cole Seahart, with a confident smile on his face. "Come on, Cole. Let's watch them at a different spot. Don't worry--- no 'giant wave demon's gonna slow the Seaharts down, right?"_

"_But what about---"_

_Hi-Mack walked up to the male tandem surfer and the two exchanged fist pumps on each other as their own call sign to the still living Rainbowside Surf Tribe and this same young man embraced the female tandem surfer._

"_Tack and Tish Seahart..." Hi-Mack called for their names. "Make the Rainbowside proud!"_

"_This is for the Rainbowside!" The tandem couple cheered happily, raising their fists of victory._

"_The Rainbowside!" Hi-Mack raised his fist the same way._

"_Let's go Rainbowside!" Cole swallowed her worry and pumped her fist up high. The boys with Hi-Mack earlier did the same._

_Before the couple were about to take off and paddle out, the male tandem surfer called for one of the boys: "Sea-Moon... get over here."_

_A timid yet tall dark-haired teenage boy, around sixteen-years-old, stepped up and faced the tandem couple. "Yes, Uncle?"_

"_Sea-Moon... I know you're the only one in the tribe who doesn't actually surf, but if anything happens... well, you know what to do."_

_The young man, surf nicked Sea-Moon, nodded humbly and embraced both the tandem surfers. After they released each other, he placed his hand on Cole's shoulder and said: "I'll take care of them--- I'll be like the big brother they never had."_

"_Good. And remember," the male tandem surfer, Tack Seahart, continued on. "Your surf nick Sea-Moon will always be with you forever no matter what happens to any one of us. You're family, both with us and with the rest of the tribe. Never forget that."_

_Sea-Moon nodded in agreement. "I won't, Uncle Tack. I won't."_

_After Tack and Tish Seahart made their messages to their team they spotted another tandem surfing couple already rehearsing their tricks and approached them. At that area they also spotted a teen girl watching two little boys--- twins, as a matter of fact--- building a small sand castle together. The teen girl shifted focus on Tack and Tish Seahart as they approached the tandem couple next to her._

"_Gen, Kim!" The two couples greeted each other with fist pumps on each other._

"_Ready to ride the wild surf, Seaharts?" The male tandem surfer, Gen Doe, responded with a smile on his face._

"_We're riding for the Rainbowside, man. You guys will be taking the waves after us, right?"_

"_Yeah," Kim Doe, Gen's wife, chuckled softly. "The officials put us last again."_

"_Remember what we talked about the last time," Tish Seahart said with a smile on her face. "I'm so excited when that time comes... they would look so cute together!"_

"_Yeah," the four tandem surfers laughed excitedly as they embraced each other good luck._

"_Win for the Rainbowside and Nijibe, Tack and Tish Seahart!"_

_The Seahart Couple gave a thumbs up to the Doe Couple, as they carried their tandem longboard to the sea. Once they reached the sea the Seahart Couple began paddling their board together to meet with the mighty breakers._

"_Come on! This way!" Hi-Mack took the young Cole by the hand and called the rest of the boys standing there. "Come on, dudes! The Pacific Heart's riding!"_

_Sea-Moon gave a thumbs up to Hi-Mack as he turned to the two younger children also playing with their beach toys. The two young children whom Sea-Moon was watching over---a girl around age seven and a boy around age five--- looked up to Sea-Moon and giggled happily and excitedly. They stood up and joined Sea-Moon, holding each of his hands._

"_Are they finally going to surf? I wanna watch!" The young girl cheered happily while she squeezed Sea-Moon's hand. Sea-Moon carried the younger boy around his arms so he won't get lost._

"_Yup. Hi-Mack is leading the rest of the surfers now at a more open spot so we can see them. Let's go follow them."_

"_Hey, where's Cole?" The little girl asked curiously._

"_Cole is with Hi-Mack right now. Let's go!"_

_The kids followed Hi-Mack and Cole as the two led them to a more secluded high-elevated spot so they would easily spot the Seahart Couple paddling to the water and ride an incoming wave. Moments later as they get far enough the couple encountered a breaking wave so huge like no other. To Cole Seahart the wave looked almost the same size as the wave she rode earlier during her competition. She began to panic right away when she estimated the height of the breakers and regardless of everyone's excitement she began to shiver right then._

"_No... that wave is too big... Mom... Dad... no..."_

_Right in an instant, even when the couple have not had the chance to stand up on the board the wave immediately swallowed them, wiping them out of their board and completely disappeared on sight._

"_No! Mom! Dad! No!" Cole screamed out to the beach but her voice was too far away to reach to the ocean. Next thing everyone knew the breaking wave was approaching the beach that everyone on the scene began to scream in panic and fright and began to run amok for their safety._

_At that time, the little girl grabbed her younger brother and held her to him. "Don't look, Hippo... don't look! We have to run! Run, Hippo, run!"_

_The little boy, Hippo, had no reaction and was more curious than frightened but he let his older sister drag him hurriedly to safety. While the chaos continued the two kids were immediately grabbed and held on by a familiar teenage girl and dragged them to a safer place. Once they got there, the teen girl embraced both the little girl and the little boy tight to her._

"_Oh!" The little girl shrieked when she saw the teen girl holding her and her little brother in a protective mode. "What's going on? Why is everyone running scared?"_

"_Lu... Hippo... it's all my fault...it's all my fault... they're gone... they're gone..."_

Right at that point a scream was heard. The Pearl Waters staff dashed to the manager's office where they found Nicola sweating and looking rather shocked while sitting behind her desk. It looked like Nicola took a nap from working on her budget report for the restaurant for awhile and was awakened by a nightmare.

"Nicola!" Taki shrieked and checked on her niece. "We heard a scream from your office. What's the matter?"

Nicola gazed at her aunt with a panicked expression on her face. "Aunt Taki..." She closed her eyes, keeping herself from shedding any tears.

"What's wrong, hun?"

"Aunt Taki... it's coming back... the one I'm trying to forget... it's coming back..."

Taki went behind the desk and embraced her niece, calming her down by rubbing her back gently. Right at that point, Maki, Rihito, and Taro arrived at the office, also worried.

"What happened? You okay, Boss?" Rihito asked with worry.

Nicola sighed deeply and released herself from Taki and turned to the three males. "I'm alright, guys. I... fell asleep while I was doing this budget report. I just had a nightmare..."

"Are you sure, Nicola?" Maki asked curiously, placing his hand on her shoulder.

Nicola smiled and quickly embraced Maki. "I'm fine, Maki. Don't worry about me." She checked her watch to see the time. "Well, just thirty minutes till we open for lunch, guys."

Taro walked up closer to Nicola and whispered on her ear: "We're all getting worried about you, Nicola. But tell me... how long are you going to play this charade with Lucia and Hippo?"

Nicola hushed Taro but said nothing regarding the question. "Let's all get back to work now."

"Nicola," Rihito interrupted and continued. "Taro, Hippo, Lucia, Rina, and myself are gonna head out on a mission."

"Mission?" Nicola raised an eyebrow of suspicion as Taro patted her on the shoulder.

"We'll be back later. Don't worry, I'm coming with them so I can keep an eye on them. You got nothing to worry about."

"Where are you guys going?"

"Out." Taro answered right away. "It's a secret location that we can't reveal to avoid all the competitor spies hanging around Nijibe right now. You know many of the ones who will be competing for the tournament this coming August are all here now, getting familiar with our beaches, our swells, the entire Nijibe atmosphere. And spying among other rivals is a common thing."

"Of course..." Nicola frowned with her arms crossed. "Brings back memories." She sighed deeply and nodded. "Alright. I was told by Coco, Caren, and Noel that the Iria Sisters want to volunteer to work here so we're covered. Hippo, Lucia, and Rina can have off today since this is tournament-related after all... band-related too!" She then gave permission to her cousin and Rihito with a nod. "Okay. Don't take too long. Is it just you, the entire band?"

Taro and Rihito turned to each other, then Rihito answered: "Well we'll have a few of the surfer dudes with us since they're the ones who know a more secluded location around the Nijibe beaches."

Nicola raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "Which surfer dudes?"

Taro sighed and answered Nicola's curiosity. "Nicola, like I said, I'll take care of everyone while we're there. I'm the oldest of the group so it's my responsibility. It's also good job training for me too as a new teacher at Lucia's and Hippo's school, so again, don't worry."

"Well you know what my concerns are, guys. I'm concerned about Lucia. At least Rina knows how to defend herself if she's been treated wrong but Lucia is my concern---"

"Nicola, you got nothing to worry about," Taro continued to insist. "Like I said, if anything happens to Lucia or anyone in the Pearl Waters staff, I'll take responsibility. Don't forget that I'm pretty much the head of household of the Nanami Family at this point since I'm also older than you." He patted Nicola on the shoulder with a smile on his face.

Nicola returned the smile, knowing Taro was indeed a responsible young man. He always was even when they were little. To her, he was the older brother she never had. "Alright then. I give Lucia and Hippo, the Pearl Waters staff, and the Rainbowside Surf Tribe in your hands."

Taro grinned and gave a thumbs up at Nicola. Rihito patted Nicola on the shoulder and said: "Well then! We're outta here! We won't be long, promise!"

"Alright. See you peeps later!" Rihito and Taro dashed out of the office and headed to the kitchen's back door area. On the way they found the female staff members at the dining area who just arrived after their time at the beach with the surfer boys.

Nicola followed the boys from behind and found the girls already gathered and ready for their shift and open up Pearl Waters for lunch. She whistled to get all the girls' attention. "Ladies, glad to see you all here!" Among the girls she found Sara and Seira with them. "Well... the Iria Girls are here!"

"Hi, Nicola," Sara greeted the boss of Pearl Waters. She also turned to the boys as well: "Long time, no talk, Rihito... and of course, Taro!"

"Hiya!" The boys waved at Sara with grins on their faces as Nicola cleared her throat.

"So you ladies heard the news already?" Nicola asked curiously.

"Yup!" Seira answered with a smile. "My sister Sara and I are happy to volunteer to work at Pearl Waters for the day in place of Lucia and Rina, since they need to go on an OC-5 mission--- at least, that's what Gaito said."

Lucia and Rina gasped in shock while Hanon shrieked louder than the two. "Wait--- what? Where's Lucia and Rina going?"

"Whoa..." Rina blinked in surprise. "Even I had no idea we were gonna go somewhere. You know anything about this, Lucia?"

Lucia shrugged her arms, looking clueless. "Nope." She turned to the boys and asked curiously. "What's this OC-5 mission you're talking about?"

"Yeah!" Right at the kitchen area Hippo joined in Lucia's curious question. "Why'd you make me pack up the instruments in the pickup? Where are we going anyway?"

"Well!" Rihito interrupted immediately and slowly heading his way to the kitchen back door. "We got no time to lose... we'll be back!" He nudged Taro on the side. "Come on, let's go."

"No fair!" Hanon frowned with her arms crossed. "I wanna go..."

Coco patted Hanon on the shoulder and smiled. "Don't worry. The dudes and OC-5 will be back. This is for tournament reasons after all."

"But you girls are surfer girls! Why aren't you going with them?"

"Because we have to work, silly!" Caren and Noel giggled. Hanon sighed and lowered her head in disappointment.

Taro said the same to Lucia and Rina as they followed the two young men to the kitchen, where Hippo was waiting at the Pearl Waters pickup.

A few minutes later, Taro drove the pickup truck through the beach where the surfer boys waited, surfboards and other gear ready and packed. Quickly the boys helped the surfers carry their surfboards and load them in to the pickup when Lucia and Rina jumped from the back to meet the surfers. Hippo jumped off the pickup prior to Taro driving it to the beach to be sure that there were no spies around just like Taro asked him to earlier.

"Yo!" Kaito was rather surprised to see Lucia from the pickup truck. "You're coming too?"

Lucia nodded. "Rihito and Taro said it's OC-5 mission, so Rina, Hippo, and me are coming along."

"Awesome! Glad you're coming along!" Kaito gave a thumbs up at the OC-5 rhythm guitarist girl.

"Well, where are we going, Kaito?" Lucia asked curiously.

"Let's just say we're going to a certain spot where the kooks and the posers and any fan girls never go!" Kaito slightly snickered. "To be honest I was planning to take you there myself one day..."

Lucia found her cheeks blushing but tried to keep herself cool with the situation. "Really, Kaito? Wow... I bet this is also a place even Hippo haven't discovered yet."

Hippo overheard the conversation while he was loading up the surfboards in to the pickup. "Well, now here's my chance to discover it. That's why I brought my camera equipment with me. Gonna take more shots."

"Oh!" Gaito overheard the conversation as well and turned to Hippo. "That reminds me--- my twin brother Kaito said you took the photograph of him on his aerials that became a pinup of this month's _Surfer Styles _magazine. Is it true?"

Hippo turned to Gaito and answered: "I have it in the SD card of my SLR if you want to see the original copy."

"Well, congratulations for the photograph, Nanami. You've got real photography skills, kid." He turned to his backpack and took out his own copy of the magazine. "Here."

"Hm? Your copy of the magazine?"

Kaito responded to Hippo's curiosity. "Will you sign the pinup of my picture, Hippo? You took the photograph so you should sign it."

"Oh! Sure... no one's asked me for an autograph before..." He took the magazine from Gaito and placed it in his backpack. "I'll give it back to you guys. Who should I sign it for?"

"For Kaito," Gaito chuckled. "What can I say? We both fell in love with it, especially him."

Hippo somehow felt appreciation coming form the twins. He was not very much fond of the twins as individuals, especially the champion surfer Kaito, and he was also conscious about Lucia's relationship with him like Nicola was. But at this point, seeing the twins ask him for an autograph of a pinup he took a photograph of made him feel a lot more appreciated.

"Thank you. I'll be glad to." Hippo gave a slight smile as he continued to load the surfboards along with Nagisa. They climbed up the pickup to stack the surfboards properly.

"See, Nanami? The Doumoto Twins are totally awesome when they got you on their good side!" Nagisa began with the chatting. "And Kaito's not that bad. I think he likes your sister a lot, Nanami."

"Does he?" Hippo asked curiously. He placed the straps around the surfboards tightly and securely so they do not slip out. "Well, as long as he doesn't treat her like she's one of his _one-week girlfriends_---"

Nagisa whispered softly: "Dude, Kaito gave up on that _one-week girlfriend _thing long time ago. I think your sis is the real deal true love for him! I can see it in his eyes. I mean he wasn't doing so hot these past two weeks during surf practice because he misses seeing your sis at the beach. She's like... his power-up!"

Hippo raised an eyebrow of suspicion. "Power-up?" Nagisa nodded enthusiastically. "O... kay..."

Meanwhile, Rina and Masahiro were having their own conversation while their equipment was being loaded. Rina still remained at her cool state while Masahiro gave a slight worried face at her. "I can't let them see you, Rina..."

Rina blinked in curiosity. "Who?"

"The competitors... the rivals... you know in surf competitions such as this it is perfectly legal for teams to spy on others as long as they don't sabotage or rip off stuff from them and make them as their own. If they see you they may change their strategies in the beauty contest and find someone who may possibly look better than you."

Rina nervously gritted her teeth but remained grinning. "Well... I don't care about looks. If the judges don't like me for who I am and how I look then obviously they got some serious problems with people in general..."

"Don't think about the judges, Rina," Masahiro patted her on the shoulder. "Just be yourself when you get up there on stage. You're already beautiful as you are right now. Of course the judges would prefer seeing you in wild bikinis and what not since this is a beach babe beauty pageant after all..."

Rina found herself blushing and her heart pounding rapidly. Being the independent girl that she was among her friends and other girls around town she always remained calm and cool and straight to any boy who may try to make a pass at her. However at this point she felt Masahiro's tone in his voice sounded so honest and true that she could not help but feeling very flattered by his words.

"Thank you, Hamasaki... That... that means a lot..."

"Masahiro, please..." Masahiro quickly responded with a smile on his face. "I don't... usually... allow girls in general to call me by my first name but... you're the exception."

"A-are you sure?" Rina asked nervously and slightly lowered her head. "I don't want to feel embarrassed and all that."

Masahiro gently lifted her chin up to face him. "Very sure."

Rina smiled humbly at Masahiro as they continued on chatting. At that time both Lucia was staring at her tomboy friend and the handsome bespectacled and slightly stacked surfer boy having their chat and became curious. She turned to Kaito, who was currently chatting with this twin brother about the tournament.

"Say... Kaito... Gaito... does Hamasaki like Rina?" Lucia asked curiously at the twin brothers.

The Doumoto Boys took a glimpse of Masahiro and Rina and then turned to each other. Then Gaito answered Lucia's curiosity. "You do know that Touin is our representative for the Beauty Pageant portion of the tournament, right?"

"Eh?" Lucia's eyes widened in surprise. "Rina never said anything about a beauty pageant... no wait... now I see why she's been acting weird as of late... Okay, check this out. At work sometimes we catch her staring at this month's issue of _Posh Mode _magazine's cover and we couldn't understand why since she's not really in to all that stuff. And then she mentioned about a second contest that she was gonna participate in the tournament but she never mentioned anything about a beauty contest. We know she's with OC-5 for the surf bands contest but we never knew the second contest she mentioned."

"Well," Kaito snickered, "if you don't know, Lucia, now you know!"

"Though I'm not exactly sure about Hamasaki himself though," Gaito said and sighed. "He's very selective with girls. He knows he's one of the most popular dudes in school and he knows he's got girls flocking on him, glasses or not. The girls know exactly why they like him a lot: surfer boy, hot looks, perfect muscular build, and most of all, he's heavily loaded."

"He's... he's rich?" Lucia gasped with her hands over her mouth. "No way..."

"Yup," Kaito nodded. "His family were friends with our late parents, so that's how we met him. His father owns the famous Green Pine Boxing Gym and Spa and his mother is the Editor-in-Chief of _Posh Mode _magazine, which was why he always gets the issues for free. He's got a good collection of motorcycles, motorbikes, and mopeds; lives in a mansion estate located at the hillside district of the town... oh, he's also a boxer in training to and he's good at it."

Lucia softly chuckled thinking how lucky her tomboy friend Rina was for having a boy as hot and handsome as Masahiro Hamasaki who may possibly be in love with the cool and independent tomboy. _You rule, Rina! You go, girl!_

"I'm a bit surprised though," Gaito continued the conversation which hooked Lucia's attention towards him.

"What do you mean?" Lucia asked curiously.

"Masahiro had his own share of girls in the past, but that dude has very high standards. He dated some of those fashion models featured in _Posh Mode _magazine and other rich girls. He rarely even checks out other girls who are on the same class as he is. That's why the girls in school who are in love with him got absolutely no chance with him. Sure, our family's rich too but his taste in girls is pretty shallow."

Lucia sighed sadly for Rina. "Poor Rina... she's like me... not exactly rich... it's obvious she's way out of Hamasaki's league if he only dates fashion models and other rich girls. But what I don't understand is... among the girls in our town... why did he pick Rina for the tournament's beauty pageant? You know she would never wear a bikini, let alone a bathing suit."

"The only reason why he picked Rina was because she looked like the cover girl of this month's issue of _Posh Mode_," Kaito added with his arms crossed. "He even said that the model on the cover was his favorite... for all we know that girl on the cover may be his girlfriend whom he never mentioned to us or something..."

"Oh..." Lucia frowned in sadness and sighed. _Hamasaki, you shallow jerk... You only picked Rina just because she looked like the fashion model on that magazine? What about Rina as a person?_

Rihito whistled at the others who were chatting out of the van to get their attention. "You dudes--- and dudettes--- ready? Let's go!"

"Awesome!" Those who were out climbed over the pickup, claiming their spots. Gaito took the front seat while Kengo and Daichi took the back seats. At the pickup, along with the instruments in the surfboards, are Rihito, Lucia, Rina, the Doumoto Twins, Nagisa, Masahiro, and Hippo.

Just as they were getting themselves secured Rihito was startled to hear Michal's voice calling to him from a distance. He turned his head and spotted Michal running to the pickup. "Oh, Michal!"

"Rihito, where are you going?" Michal demanded with a frown on her face. "You're gonna leave me behind here?"

Rihito sighed and said "This is an OC-5 mission, Michal. You wouldn't want to hang out with us---"

Michal shook her head and glared. "Well, if you say that this is an OC-5 issue then why are Kaito and the entire surf tribe with you?"

"Michal, I don't have time for this... we have to go---"

"I wanna go, Rihito--- please! Besides... Kaito may be lonely without someone next to him---"

Kaito's eyes widened and spotted Michal: "I'm not lonely, Michal. I'm heading out there for surfing practice..."

"Still! You need company!" Right then Michal climbed slowly over the pickup and sat right next to Kaito. Across from Kaito was Lucia, who gave a slight frown and a sigh.

"Fine..." Rihito frowned and lowered his head. "Do you mind Michal coming along too, Kaito?"

Kaito shrugged his arms. "Well, she's already here and ready to go."

"Alright." He climbed over the pickup and gently slapped the roof of the pickup to signal Taro to drive off. "Let's go."

"Right." Taro turned on the ignition and drove off from the beach to the road on to the further side of Kaigara Boulevard.

Rina turned to Lucia, also wondering what she would say once Michal began leaning her head on Kaito's shoulder. Lucia then changed her facial expression from worried to glad. "Hi, Michal! I don't think we've met personally. I'm Lu---"

Michal opened her eyes and gazed right at the girl across from her and Kaito. "Lucia Nanami, I know. You're my brother's band mate, co-worker, friend. Right?"

"Um... right..." Lucia chuckled nervously.

"And you're Rina Touin. I've heard so much about you," Michal continued.

Rina raised an eyebrow of curiosity. "Oh?"

"Yeah. You're not very popular with boys in school, aren't you?"

"Not my problem."

Rihito overheard the short conversation and glared at Michal. "That's not a nice thing to say, Michal."

"But the girls at the beach said---" Michal wanted to argue but Rihito shook his head right at her.

"Don't worry about it, Rihito," Rina gave a slight smirk. "I'm used to people talking behind my back. I know who I am and that's not gonna change."

"I think those girls are just jealous, Rina." Across from Rina was Masahiro, who joined in the brief chat. "Only because the hottest of the hottest dudes are checkin' you out!" He gave her a wink while the rest of the boys chuckled and Lucia nudging Rina on the side with a grin on her face.

Rina could not help herself but to blush. It was true, she thought. It looks like a surfer boy named Masahiro Hamasaki was definitely tearing down her defenses.

Michal continued on with her topic. "How come you girls, Lucia and Rina, don't wear bikinis or bathing suits at the beach? Shouldn't you be? I mean, you're in a surf band!"

Kaito suddenly snapped out from out of the blue and interrupted. "Can we talk about something else besides judging each other by the clothes, please?"

"Oh! I'm sorry Kaito!" Michal gasped with worry and cuddled herself against his arm while everyone else shrugged like no one cared.

Nagisa, who was sitting at the end of the pickup with Hippo watching the rear, raised his hand. "Okay, I know I've asked this several times and I haven't gotten an answer from you dudes yet. _Where are we going?_"

"You'll find out once we get there, Nagisa," Kaito reminded the younger surfer. "You see, we're heading to the official haven of the Rainbowside--- location unknown. Only the true blue Rainbowside surfers and devotees know the real location. But you're not alone, Nagisa. Most of us haven't been there in awhile because it's only accessible through dirt roads and it's kinda far from Sector 7 Beach. We needed someone to drive us there or have someone let us borrow motorbikes or mopeds or bikes to get there, but since we needed to carry our surfboards there too we obviously needed a bigger auto--- like this pickup."

The back window opened and both Kengo and Daichi peeked through the back area and overheard the conversation. "Question, dudes. How come Taro Mitsuki's driving?" Kengo asked curiously. "I mean, I thought this place is the Rainbowside's true blue location?"

Once again he felt another sharp slap at the back on his head by none other than his best friend Daichi. "'Cause he's the only dude in this group who has a driver's license! Masahiro can drive too but he only has a provisional license and would need to be accompanied by an adult!"

"Wrong!" At the front seat, Gaito joined in and corrected the two boys sitting behind him. "Taro Mitsuki is driving because he's _been _there--- several times! Even if we wanted to head there we'd never find the location through the secret path."

Lucia and Rina gasped and turned to the window. "Really, Taro? You've been there?" Taro took a quick glance at the back and winked at the two girls.

"Man, Lucia, Hippo, you guys got the coolest cousin ever!" Rina chuckled with a thumbs up.

"Yup!" Lucia cheered excitedly. "Oh man, I hope we get to have Taro as our new homeroom teacher!"

Kaito's eyes widened. "Wait... Taro Mitsuki's gonna be a teacher in our school?" Lucia and Rina nodded. "Hey... that'd be cool... having a surf tribe supporter as a homeroom teacher. We'd probably head out to the beach for study hall period, man!"

"Hell yeah!" The rest of the surfer boys cheered along.

Rihito turned to the open back window and called out to Taro. "Dude, looks like you're getting popular within the Rainbowside--- then again, you've always been a prominent part of the Rainbowside all your life!"

Taro did not answer verbally but instead raised his arm through his side window and gave a thumbs up to Rihito. Just as everyone settled at their spots, Hippo had been busy taking pictures of the rear view when he noticed another pickup stacked with surfboards at the back appeared from out of the blue, tailing right behind them. He slanted his eyes in suspicion and hushed the others with him.

"Great..." Hippo murmured in a low tone.

"What's wrong, Hippo?" Rihito asked curiously.

"Valley kooks at six o'clock." Hippo said calmly but in a defensive expression. He already identified the pickup truck by the pattern on the hood as well as the license plate. Nijibe's rival surfing team from Seiyo Valley had just arrived and were now tailing right behind them.

"Oh hell no..." Rihito turned to everyone at the open area. "Guys, we got company tailing behind us. Everyone hang on to something and don't let go!"

Daichi and Kengo turned back to the front to pass the message. "Gaito! Those Seiyo Valley surfers are tailing behind us!"

Gaito grunted in frustration with a fist tightened. "They'll find out where our haven is! Damn--- we can't let them see where we're going!"

"Tell everyone to hang on tight as much as they can." Taro answered right away and shifted gears on his pickup. "We're gonna have a little _wild ride_!"

"No way!" Gaito exclaimed and quickly hung on to the handle at the side top of the passenger seat. Daichi and Kengo clung on to the front seats while checking to be sure their seat belts were secure.

Michal suddenly clung on to Kaito while Lucia moved forward and hung on to a nearby surfboard. Kaito let Michal hang on to him while he also clung on to the same surfboard as Lucia. Rina, Masahiro, and Rihito hung on to the closest surfboard or other item nearby. Nagisa hung on to the tails of the surfboards while Hippo positioned himself facing the rear, leaning his back against the surfboards' tails, keeping an eye on the rear.

"What--- what's going on?" Michal cried while still clinging on to Kaito. "Are we going to be in trouble?"

"Michal, this is my cousin driving!" Lucia answered while leaning closer to the surfboard. "When Taro is behind the wheels, crazy stuff happens!"

"Really?" Kaito chuckled while Michal began to panic. "Hey... not too tight, Michal!"

"Oh yah!" Lucia answered. "See, he hates it when someone tailgates him and tries to pass him up. He has some bad habits on the road, heh..."

"Heh... cool!" Kaito snickered.

As Taro checked the mirrors he spotted the rather dark yellow pickup truck behind them, almost tailgating behind him.

_You wanna race, huh? You're on, dude!_

He switched gears again and pumped his accelerator, speeding his pickup with a full blast forward.

"Whooooaaaaa!" Everyone felt the sudden jolt on the pickup that the force almost did a bit of damage to their secure positions.

"Jeez!" Nagisa exclaimed with shocked expressions on his face. "That Taro Mitsuki sure is a total gasser--- and I mean it in a good way, Nanami."

"I know, Shiroi." Hippo snickered. "I know."

The Seiyo Valley pickup truck suddenly switched lanes since the street was not busy and had one broken border and one solid border at the center, meaning anyone can pass safely. The head of the pickup was closing in, with some of their surfers also sitting at the back. The scene looked as if a battle was about to begin.

Taro shifted gears again and gassed the accelerator, completely ditching the Seiyo Valley pickup at a car away, but the rival pickup still continued to speed, attempting to catch up to their hometown advantaged rivals. At that time, Gaito was getting worried inside.

"How long till we get there?" Gaito asked curiously.

"We're close. Don't worry," Taro answered calmly, still focused towards the road.

"Where exactly are we going to turn to? It's all like forest out here now!"

"Like I said. We're close."

Just as the other pickup continued to speed it finally caught up and was now next to the Rainbowside pickup. One of the passengers at the yellow Seiyo Valley brought out something that looked like a round orange fruit. Kaito slightly looked up and spotted that particular passenger, ready to launch that item right at their direction.

"Michal! Keep down!" Kaito held Michal down to keep her from getting hit by whatever that item was.

"Kaito!" Michal shrieked as Kaito held on to her. He got himself visible and open for whoever that passenger on the other van was. Right at that moment the passenger threw his item right towards Kaito's and Michal's direction.

Just as the item was flying right at their pickup, Lucia stood up from where she was and used the flatter side of her handbag to ricochet the item back to where it came from. Without intent, the item hit another passenger next to the one who threw that item right directly at the face. The item was smashed right at the passenger's face with pulp and juice spread all over. The sight was just too hilarious that it made some passengers from the other van and the entire Rainbowside pickup burst in to laughter.

Right when both pickups were almost at top speed, Taro quickly pressed the brakes, which shoved everyone forward. The other pickup sped away unknowingly that the other pickup just stopped immediately and disappeared right at the distance. With that forceful stop, Lucia was shoved right against the back window due to her standing up to ricochet that fruit back to its origin. Though not completely injured, she was a bit in pain right on her left side of the head.

"Hey Lucia... you okay?" Kaito asked with worry as Lucia slowly recovered from that major shove.

"I'll be fine, thanks. At least you guys didn't get hit by that tomato." Lucia sat back to her seat. Right then she felt something wet slowly dripping on her left side. "Oh... I need a tissue!"

"I have some... let me..." Michal reached for her purse for her pack of tissues when Kaito noticed something else on Lucia's side.

"Lucia! You're bleeding!"

"Eh?" Lucia gave a blank stare as Kaito moved his position to the other side of the pickup and sat at Lucia's left side. He reached for his backpack for his First Aid Kit. Michal was able to find her pack of tissues and handed it to Kaito. "No no--- it's okay, Kaito--- I can patch myself up---"

"Oh no! Lucia, are you okay?" Rina shrieked in shock once she heard of the bleeding.

"I got this, don't worry," Kaito reminded Rina while Lucia grinned nervously while her body began to twitch for a bit.

Rihito shook his head seeing what had just happened and turned to the window: "Taro! Why'd you brake all of a sudden? We got a minor injured passenger here!"

Taro sighed and turned his head towards the window. "We're here."

"Here?"

"Yup. The path we're taking to the spot."

Gaito turned his head curiously towards Taro. "How do you know that we're here?"

"You see a tree there with a crescent moon and three stars surrounding that moon and the sea at the bottom?" Taro pointed to a tall pine tree to the right side of the forest with a crescent moon and three stars with an ocean below carved on its trunk.

"Yeah...? I don't get it..." Kengo and Daichi answered from behind them.

"That's my _surf nick_. Look at the ground. It's the path to... you know... _the spot_."

"Holy jeez!" The surfer boys shrieked in shock to see the perfect carving on the tree.

"Who carved that drawing over there, Taro?" Masahiro asked curiously while staring on the trunk.

Taro turned to everyone behind him and smiled. "I did... with some help."

"You did?" Hippo and Nagisa gasped in surprise.

"Yup. Well then, you all can relax now. Let's go!"

Taro turned his pickup to the path with the moon, stars, and sea marker on the tree was located and drove down the path. The dirt road was naturally bumpy but this time Taro was being a more careful driver than he was on the small paved road.

Just as they drove while Kaito continued to patch Lucia's small bleeding wound on her left temple, Taro began to reminisce the history of that particular marker and why he referred to it as his _surf nick_. Sure, the rest of the surf tribe today did not catch what he just said earlier, but Taro did not mind. He knew exactly what happened then.

The carving was ten years old, just three years before the _Dainami-Oni _incident occurred. It was one late afternoon and Taro was only at a tender age of thirteen. He even remembered the inspirational voice that aided him in creating that carving and he always kept it to heart whenever he wanted to go to that particular spot.

"_This represents you, Taro. That's why we're carving this marker together. Whenever you're lonely, whenever you need anything, this marker will guide you to the place you want to be."_

_Yup_. Taro's voice spoke within him and nodded on his one. _This is the real world of the Rainbowside Surf Tribe. Thanks for opening your kingdom to me, Uncle..._

After Kaito was done placing a bandage patch on her left temple, Lucia slightly chuckled and also thanked him. "Thanks again for patching me up. I'm injury prone all of a sudden..."

"Not your fault, Lucia. At least it's not a huge cut or anything." Kaito decided to remain on his new spot next to Lucia, facing Michal this time.

"Thanks for the tissues, Michal." Lucia thanked the second person who volunteered the tissues when she asked for them. "I really appreciate it."

Michal gave a soft giggle. "No problem, Lucia. I hope you're okay with that bruise..."

"Nah, this is nothing. I can suck it up. But thanks for your concern!"

Though Michal was happy she could lend a hand she sighed sadly knowing that Kaito was not sitting at the opposite side of the pickup next to Lucia instead of sitting next to her. At this time Hippo took photos of certain spots of the dirt road while Nagisa continued to gaze at the awe and beauty of this particular spot. He was becoming more anxious for their destination.

"Mmm... I can smell the fresh sea breeze..." Masahiro murmured softly as he could feel the soft warm breeze blowing through his hair. "We're almost here, guys."

"No kidding!" Hippo gasped in awe once when the trees were spacious enough for him to have a closer view of what was within them. "That's one clean, blue, glassy ocean, dude!" Right through the spaces between trees he began to take pictures. "Man oh man! The water's dang clean! The sun is really bright and I can feel the warmth too! And... is that a rainbow I see? This view is just _sweet_!"

"Whoa! I've... I've never seen this place before!" Lucia exclaimed in shock and a huge grin appeared on her face as she gazed towards the view of this brand-new beach.

"Are we still in Nijibe?" Rina asked curiously, also looking amazed at the beach they were about to reach. "You guys gotta be kidding me--- this is still Nijibe?"

"You better believe it, Rina," Masahiro answered Rina quickly. "This entire beach belongs to the Rainbowside Surf Tribe since the beginning of its foundation. Only those in the tribe are allowed in here and outsiders who come here are invitation only."

"That's just insane..." Rina murmured as she kept her eyes glued towards the beach. "Seriously insane."

Kaito stretched his arms and had his happiness glow on his face once he saw the view of this mysterious yet flawless-looking strip of beach anyone has ever seen. It had been awhile since the last time he and the rest of the team been there and he was glad that they were heading their way back again.

Just as everyone enjoyed the view of the beach, Taro the driver began to sing one line of a song that he had in mind:

_Look out here come the Rainbowside Surfers!_

Once the others heard that first line, everyone on the pickup except Michal joined in with this familiar song:

_Nijibe is getting' hot!_

Taro took a glance at everyone and smiled. The group continued singing again:

_There they go cruisin' down that coastline_

_Lookin' for their favorite spot_

_We'll find a big one!_

Michal gasped and turned to Kaito, curious with the song. "What song is this, Kaito?"

"_The Rainbowside Anthem_, Michal!" Kaito winked at Michal. "It's _our _song!"

Right then the song continued with Lucia, Rina, and Hippo taking the next verse:

_Oh, the dudes are rough and ready_

_To handle anything!_

_They take the big one!_

The rest of the boys continued from where the three left off:

_They've got to be the best thing going_

_Rainbowside Surfers really swing!_

"Rock out!" Taro called as everyone began clapping along with the beat.

_Oh Seiyo Valley, can't you hear them?_

_Hear that shore pound slam!_

_You're gonna eat it! SPLASH!_

_Rumblin' clear from Central to Sector 7!_

_Rainbowside Surfers let's go!_

_You'll catch them surfing!_

Everyone bursted in to laughter as they applauded each other for the slightly imperfect-pitched surf tribe's anthem. This particular song was written for the Rainbowside Surf Tribe ever since its foundation about forty years ago and the song had been passed on from generation to generation with new or altered lyrics. Though anyone in Nijibe knew this song it was clear that anyone from the surf tribe may have taught others the song.

"I just learned this song from Taro and Rihito during rehearsals not too long ago." Rina admitted with a shy laugh.

"I learned the song from Kaito and Gaito when I first joined the tribe." Nagisa replied along with Rina. "Where'd you and Lucia learn the song from, Nana--- Hippo?"

Hippo chuckled nervously. "You know, good question. Funny answer too."

"Yup," Lucia chuckled along at the same time. "Hippo and I learned it from our parents when we were little."

"Seriously?" Kaito chuckled as well. "Same with Gaito and me. Our parents taught us the song."

"I also learned the song from Gaito and Kaito's parents as well," Masahiro joined in. "I was pretty young as well... like... nine-years-old I think?"

Kengo and Daichi answered simultaneously: "We also learned it from Kaito when we first joined."

"And I learned the song from Taro." Rihito chuckled and turned to Michal. "Unless if you don't want me to I'll teach you the song one day, Michal."

"Cool! Thanks, Rihito!" Michal answered happily. "Then Kaito and I can sing this song everyday when we get bored! Right, Kaito?"

Kaito shrugged his arms. "I guess..."

"What about you, Taro?" Daichi asked the driver. "Where'd you learn the song from?"

"Simple," Taro began his reply. "I learned it from Lucia and Hippo's parents too. In fact... I was the first person to learn that song before they taught it to Nicola."

"Eh?" Hippo gasped. "Nicola knows the song too?"

"Of course she knows the song, Hippo." Taro confirmed Hippo's question. "It's obvious she knows the song too... even Aunt Taki and Maki know the song as well."

"I wonder if Coco, Caren, and Noel know the song too..." Lucia began to wonder to herself.

"Hanon?" Rina added their third friend on the list as well. The two girls turned to each other for a few moments, then simultaneously answered:

"Nah."

Minutes later the pickup drove out of the forest and now landed on the white sand. They finally reached the shore with the glassy blue ocean rolled in a huge series of breakers throughout the strip, with Hippo continuously taking pictures. Just as they were driving to the actual spot where Taro intended to park they were encountered by a slightly huge group of teenagers (and young adults, maybe?)--- surfer boys and surfer boys' girlfriends (no surfer girls around)--- running to them like a huge mob of fan girls spotting their favorite idol.

"Hey--- what's going on?" Nagisa wondered curiously.

"The entire tribe is here..." Masahiro smirked.

Just as these teens arrived Taro found his ideal parking space and braked the pickup. As the surfer boys jumped off from the pickup they were greeted by this particular mob of teenagers with exchanging pump fists and embraces from the girlfriends. With this scene alone it was obvious to Lucia, Rina, Hippo, Nagisa, and Michal that the rest of the surfer boys and these group of teens were very familiar with each other.

Gaito turned to Lucia, Rina, Hippo, Nagisa, and Michal, who had blank expressions on their faces once they saw the boys greeted the mob that approached them. "Welcome to the Rainbowside S-Cube. All of the selected future senior surfers of the Rainbowside Surf Tribe begin their training here--- that is, if you live far away from the Kaigara Boulevard beaches."

"Oh!" Nagisa's eyes widened in surprise. "No wonder I've never been here. I live near Kaigara Boulevard."

Gaito turned to the mob of teens and introduced the newcomers. "That young girl there is Rihito Amagi's sister Michal. This young surfer boy here is Nagisa Shiroi--- at a young age he's already in the major tournaments. These three here are three of the five members of our new surf band, OC-5."

As they exchanged greetings Nagisa still had the confused look. He turned to Hippo, Lucia, Rina, and Michal and asked. "_Rainbowside S-Cube_? What does that mean?"

"Dunno... sorry..." Lucia shrugged but still continued to observe the entire brand-new atmosphere. Rina and Michal also shook their heads.

"S-Cubed... nice..." Hippo smirked with his arms crossed. "Very nice..."

"Well what is it, Nanami?" Nagisa asked once more.

"You don't know? S-Cube... S-Cube means three S's. It's a very quick short form of the abbreviation of S.S.S.--- _Secret Surfing Spot_."

"Secret Surfing Spot?!" Lucia and Nagisa exclaimed in shock. "No way!"

Hippo nodded his head. "It's obvious, you guys! This particular strip of beach is so isolated that it could only be accessible through the forest dirt roads. No one in Nijibe knows about this spot unless if you're a member of the Rainbowside Surf Tribe, a relative of one of the surf tribe surfers, or even a friend of one of the surf tribe members. No wanna-bes, posers, kooks, or even those stalking fan girls or the Paparazzi have access here. You can only access here via a pickup truck like Taro's truck, by bike like how I usually travel from place to place, motorbikes, mopeds, you know the deal."

"So in other words--- we're actually at the most secret spot of the entire town..." Rina softly grumbled her response. "Wow... this is like... serious paradise... serious..."

"It's beautiful..." Michal whispered in awe. "I can't believe Kaito and the surfer boys train here... hang out here... and they own this entire strip of beach... we feel so special now!"

"Heh... I had a feeling that the Rainbowside Surf Tribe had a secret surfing spot... every surf tribe from town to town would always have a secret surfing spot. And here we are, standing at Nijibe's most isolated--- yet very breathtaking--- spot. Crazy stuff!"

While the newcomers continued their discussion Lucia ended up wandering around the beach on her own. As she walked further and further from the crowd, wading along the wet shore with the very clean warm ocean rolling in over her bare feet, her mind began to flash images within her.

_Wait... wait a minute... this... this beach..._ Lucia continued to turn around in all directions, still observing the atmosphere, while at the same time she began to see more images in her mind. _Why does it feel like... I've been here before? Why do I feel like... I know about this place but... not? What's going on...?_

From behind she heard a familiar voice calling her name. She turned her head to the sand where she saw Kaito running to her. "Oh, Kaito!"

"Lucia!" Kaito approached her right where she was standing. "Got a moment?"

Lucia smiled humbly. "I was just looking around this... this... _secret surfing spot_."

"Listen, Lucia. I meant to take you here myself earlier. It's not just because I wanted to share you this _secret surfing spot_ with you, but it's about... it's about the rumor you told me about earlier that those crazy fan girls started spreading around."

"About you being in love...?" Lucia asked curiously and Kaito nodded.

"Yes, Lucia. The rumor is true. I am in love with someone..."

Lucia suddenly felt a huge jolt of beat in her heart knowing that it was ready to shatter in to small pieces at the moment. "Then you really are in love..."

"... I met the girl I'm currently in love with here at this very beach. But... I was taken away from her right after I met her... told her how I felt when she was asleep... I even had her in my arms when she was asleep to keep her warm... and the next thing I knew... I was being pulled away from her. Afterwards, I never saw her again, Lucia. I know I should move on but I can't... I can't forget her... and I got desperate... that's why... the _one-week girlfriend _thing."

Lucia's eyes opened wide in amazement. Though she already knew deep inside that she would feel her first heartbreak she decided to continue listening to his story. "So you had a reason why you did all that... You were looking for her... right?"

"It's stupid, I know... but it's really hard to remember how she looked like after not seeing her for seven years."

"Seven years?!" Lucia gasped and covered her mouth in shock. "Kaito... you've lingered for her... for seven years?" _What am I saying? I've been looking for that mysterious boy I saved for seven years too... and I haven't even told Kaito my story yet... But you know, I feel for you too, Kaito. I can seriously relate with you._

"Do you think I'm being insane to even look for her, Lucia? I don't know about now... I feel like giving up on her and just move on with my life... I tried... but it's no use..."

Lucia shook her head and placed her hand on his shoulder. "You'll... you'll find her, Kaito. Even if you're already with someone else... I'm sure she'll show up one day in your life. But my concern with you, Kaito, is that I don't want you to feel sad and lonely just because of your memories with her. Your happiness makes me smile a lot, Kaito, whether you're out there riding the wild surf or just hanging out with your friends. I just want you to be happy... always happy."

Kaito then placed his hand on to Lucia's hand on his shoulder. He did not attempt to remove her hand off of his shoulder but he meant to hold her hand right then. He gazed at her and smiled: "Thank you, Lucia. Thanks for listening to me. You really are a good friend."

Lucia just gave another humble grin. "Always welcome, Kaito." She released her hand from Kaito and then gazed her face towards the beach. "Now that you told me your story. Can I tell you mine?"

Kaito nodded instantly. "Sure. You listened to mine. I'll listen to yours."

"Well, first up... I don't know what it is but... I know I've never been here but somehow... my messed up memory is telling me otherwise. I feel like... I've been to this beach before. I'm not sure how... not sure why... but I got here somehow... I... I just can't recall how... when... why... and what path I used to get here."

"Well," Kaito began his response, "Gaito and I have been here several times. Our parents always took us here whenever they're with their surfing sessions with the rest of the Rainbowside. We also learned how to surf here. Lots of future generation Rainbowside surfers begin their training right here at this secret surfing spot. If your cousin Taro have been here many times since he was a kid then maybe that's how you got here. Maybe your cousin took you here at one time?"

Lucia sighed and headed back to the sand and sit to rest. Kaito joined her right on spot. "Maybe... maybe Taro took me here at one time... I know Taro hung out with a lot of the Rainbowside surfers but... why would he take me down here?"

Kaito shrugged his arms and shook his head. "I'm just making guesses, Lucia. I don't know the answer either. If I did then I would've known you back then and we wouldn't be strangers turned friends this summer, you know?"

"I know."

While everyone was settling down at this point Lucia and Kaito fell silent from their conversation and watched the rolling swell on the clean and glassy ocean and enjoy the oceanic view.

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_

_#1 – A **gasser** is an old (?) surfer lingo that refers to a person (usually a dude) who is boastful, self-centered, and conceited. It's another variety of a poser/kook. It also refers to a car-addicted driver who loves speed, speed, speed on his nifty cool car. In this case, while every surfer calls each other as a **gasser** for being boastful and stuck-up, Taro was referred as a gasser due to his hefty speeding on his heavy pickup truck._

_#2 – Surfers, in general, are kind of like gypsies. They travel around in groups most of the time, always searching every beach, coast to coast, for the perfect waves they can ride on. Many surfers have discovered secluded areas not open (or rather not known) to the public and they usually claim these secluded, unknown spots as their "secret surfing spot."_

_More to come, obviously! Please keep the reviews coming! I really appreciate it! ^_^_

**_RATED T_**_ for the VERY mild language AND slight adult situations._

_**Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch** is © 2003 Pink Hanamori and Michiko Yokote. All songs used are © respected songwriters/owners. No copyright infringement intended._


	10. Surfer's Memories

**RIDE THE WILD SURF  
a Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch Fanfiction**

by Adrimarie

**Surfer's Memories**

"Hmm... Out of range, huh... I wonder where on earth Taro took Lucia, Hippo, Rina, Rihito, and the surf tribe went to..."

Nicola hung up her cellphone after dialing Taro's cellphone number the fourth time. She remained at her desk during business hours and was finally able to finish her inventory report. She wanted to let Taro know that the report was ready but after dialing his cellphone four times she kept receiving error messages about Taro's phone being out of range. She began to get slightly suspicious regarding the destination both the OC-5 and the surf tribe headed to.

She stood up from her desk and headed to the kitchen to meet Maki and her Aunt Taki busy working on their dishes. The two looked up to find Nicola standing at the kitchen door. "Hey guys, need to ask a quick question."

"What's the matter, dear?" Taki asked curiously as she placed the knife down on the cutting board.

"Hey, do any one of you know where Taro, Lucia, Hippo, Rina, and Rihito headed off to? I know they're on a surf band mission but they never exactly mentioned the exact location."

Taki shook her head. "Sorry, I have no clue at all. You know how Taro is sometimes. He makes us worry."

"Taro's been the best adopted big brother we ever had, Auntie. You know, I have a feeling those people are hiding something from me..."

Maki served his newly-freshed dish on the plate and placed it on the bar where one of the waitresses will be picking up to serve to the customer. He turned to Nicola and gave a slight smile. "Nicola, you need to take a day off. You've been stressed."

Nicola shook her head slowly and smiled in return. "Maki, I'm fine. Don't worry. I've got the reports done. Anyway, I just wanted to say hi to you guys and ask if you guys had a clue where they went."

"Well... knowing Taro there is one place he'd love to go whenever it was something important that he couldn't even tell the others where exactly that location is."

"Hmm..." Nicola began to contemplate as she walked around the kitchen. "If I were Taro here in Nijibe... where would I go?"

Maki shook his head with a slight chuckle. "Silly girl. I can't believe that you actually managed to erase a part of your memories you wanted to get rid of. You've already forgotten that one particular place. I mean you'd get there even by bike."

"Maki, don't make it so hard. I don't want anyone to get lost at some weird secluded spot where they may have a hard time coming back to civili---" Just as she was going to finish her statement that particular memory was recovered quickly in her mind. She looked up towards Maki again with startled eyes.

"What is it, Nicola?"

"No... way... he didn't..." Nicola sighed deeply and lowered her head to contemplate some more. "He wouldn't... no... he would...he seriously would..." She looked up quickly and stared right at both Maki and her aunt. "The Rainbowside S-Cube...?" She shook her head and sighed. "Why that Taro--- I... I didn't want Lucia and Hippo to see that place!"

Taki stopped what she was doing and approached her niece. "Nicola, enough, please. How long are you going to play charade with Lucia and Hippo? They're your sister and brother! Sure they were still too young back then but they do have the right to know the entire truth. This is in regards to this family, Nicola. Please, I beg of you..."

"I agree with your aunt, Nicola." Maki nodded along with Taki. "If you don't tell them the entire truth about what happened seven years ago then someone else will. That would be unfair to them and I can guarantee you they will get angry at you for not telling them yourself."

"That's the thing. I don't want Lucia and Hippo to hate me, Maki. If I tell them myself, then they will also hate me. If someone else tells them, they'd hate me too. It's a lose-lose situation!"

Taki sighed and turned to her niece. "Don't be a stubborn child, Nicola. Eventually Lucia and Hippo will find out the entire story. How they're going to react to you is up to them. And as your aunt I am tired of pretending I don't know anything about whats going on. Almost everyone here in the Pearl Waters staff know what happened then except Lucia and Hippo."

"Alright... alright... just... give me some time to get myself ready, Auntie... then I'll tell them the entire story... the real truth... about what happened." Nicola sighed deeply and turned to the kitchen door. "Please keep up the good work, guys." Slowly she exited the kitchen and headed upstairs to her room.

Once she got to her room she sat on her dresser to freshen herself up, putting on powder and lipstick. When she looked up her mirror she almost fell from her seat when she saw a very familiar teenage girl with a bikini top carrying a lavender-colored surfboard staring at her from the mirror. Nicola thought she was seriously hallucinating and going insane.

"Oh no... now I really need sleep..." Nicola murmured, placing her hand on her forehead.

"_Yoohoo! You look like you're out of energy, Nicola!"_ The teenage girl from the mirror spoke to her with a smile on her face.

Nicola slowly looked up the mirror again and the teen surfer girl waved at her. "You... you can't be... no way... you just can't be... what on earth... am I seeing things?"

The teen girl gave a slight glare towards her and placed one hand on her waist. _"What do you think you're doing, Nicola? Are you insane trying to get rid of the best memories of your life? You're still young, age twenty-one and you're already carrying on the family business. That's a good path you've chosen, you know that, Nicola? But seriously, that doesn't mean you'd get rid of the best memories you ever had in your past life. You're even trying to get rid of me--- your heart and soul? The true roots that made you who you are today? Not gonna happen, Nicola!"_

"Aren't you...?" Nicola suddenly began to answer this illusion at the mirror. "Are you really...?"

The teen girl turned to her lavender surfboard and pointed at her initials near the tail of her surfboard. _"Yeah! That's right. I'm your heart and soul... or have you even forgotten that you've got a heart and soul, Nicola? I mean, you're not even going to tell poor Lucia and Hippo about what really happened to us? Not cool!"_

"I... I don't want anyone to hate me... why can't anyone understand that? I can't have Lucia and Hippo look at me in a bad way... but my mistake caused so many lives and tears for the loved ones..."

The teen girl illusion began to contemplate in a rather girlish manner and then snapped her fingers. _"Well, that already happened. But the dumb part here is that you're blaming yourself for the tragedy. Girl, it already happened. It was bound to happen anyway. You didn't make it happen--- nature did! No human can control nature, you know. And then you warped little Lucia's and little Hippo's minds because they were too young to remember that awful day just so you'd still have their trust? What on earth are you thinking? I mean, look at me! Look at me for awhile and tell me what kind of person I am."_

Nicola gazed at the teen girl for a few moments and sighed. "I love my little sister and little brother very much... I love them both... it's like... whenever Mom and Dad aren't around I was ready and willing to give all my life so Lucia and Hippo can have a better young life than I did."

"_Well, I can seriously see that! I mean look at Lucia and Hippo--- they're looking really well--- best of all, while you try to get rid of your past life, Lucia and Hippo want to get in to the life you used to live. Now all of a sudden they seem to know more about surfing than you do. That's a total shame, really, if you ask me..."_

Nicola tightened a fist and gritted her teeth in nervousness. "You don't understand! I didn't want them to go through the same things that I went through! It's unfair to them..."

"_Uh, duh! Well it's also unfair for them to not know the truth, Nicola. You know, you should be glad that I'm still hanging on to you because you and I both know that you're the best thing that's happened to this family, Pearl Waters, and the entire town. Thanks to you all the other rivals and wanna-bes all around fear us! Look at me again. What do you see when you look at me, hm?"_ Right then the teen girl posed looking cool and cute along with the lavender surfboard slanted, showing off the signature motif and those initials barely visible. She gave a wink and a sideways peace sign not too close to her face as well as one leg lifted while the other with the foot tiptoed.

Nicola burst in to soft laughter once she gazed at the teen girl illusion posing. "You're funny, you know that?"

The teen girl stuck her tongue and snickered. _"Of course I'm funny! Can't say the same about you. What the heck happened to you, Nicola? You used to be funny! All people like funny people! It's how you gain friends, girl! You're still nice but you're not funny!"_

"Ugh..." Nicola sighed deeply and lowered her head. "I guess... I guess I should talk to Lucia and Hippo about... what happened..."

The teen girl offered a pump fist to Nicola via the mirror as Nicola responded with a pump fist. _"Well then--- the big one's rolling in! Gotta ride that wild surf now. Oh, and when you have the time, Nicola, maybe it's time you do some late spring cleaning of the entire place, would you? Seeya!"_ Just like that the illusion disappeared from her mirror.

_That was weird... I can't believe I'm talking to myself..._

Nicola finished her personal touch ups and headed back downstairs and on to business again.

Meanwhile at the Rainbowside S-Cube, Lucia and Kaito continued to gaze at the ocean without any words exchanged. Both seem to have something else in mind, and although Lucia should be happy that she was alone with her one true love next to her, the story of Kaito's missing love came to her mind. Though he did not give much detail to his story somehow there were hints from his story that she just could not ignore.

_There's not much detail in his story about his missing true love... Why can't I help thinking that he was talking about me? Why can't I help thinking that the boy I rescued from that storm was him? He said he was taken away from that girl? In my missing love's story he disappeared when I woke up..._

Right at that moment she gasped in surprise once she realized another memory she may have recovered. Quickly she turned to Kaito, who was still staring at the glassy ocean, startled him with a call: "Kaito!"

Kaito snapped and stared at Lucia looking shocked. "Wh-what?"

"I know how to find that missing girl of your dreams, Kaito!" She stood up from her spot and wiped the sand off of her clothes with a smile on her face.

"Yeah?" Kaito raised an eyebrow of suspicion at her but decided to play along.

"Yeah! Maybe she's out in the sea somewhere, Kaito. Maybe she's... she's a _mermaid_!"

"You're making fun of me, aren't you Lucia?" Kaito smirked and stood up from his spot.

"Me? No, of course not! I don't want you all sad just thinking about her. There's the tournament that you need to train for--- and you have to look for a partner for the tandem surfing thing too! And with the number of the girls in this little tribe here looks like you've got plenty of options!"

"I know... I'm trying to get over her but it's not easy."

"Well if you're gonna be like that, Kaito, then you'll fail the entire team and never get to enter the tournament because you can't even get a partner for the tandem surfing competition!"

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

Right at that moment she began to shout out to the group of teen girls mending to their designated surfer boy after their long, wild rides. Kaito began to worry and ran behind Lucia to watch what she was about to do. "Yo, Beach Bunnies and Betties! Anyone here interested in riding the wild surf with the champion of last year's National All-Around Surfing Championships Tourney? He needs a tandem surfing partner for the upcoming surf scenes tournament!"

"Lucia, what are you doing? Don't yell that out in front of everybody!" Kaito quickly ran to her and immediately covered her mouth with his hand, but it was too late. The girls present at this secret surfing spot caught her attention, which also included those who were already taken. "Oh great! Nice going, Lucia!"

Lucia chuckled and released herself from Kaito and backed away from him unaware she was backing herself towards the ocean. "Oh come on, Kaito! Two weeks already passed and you still haven't found your partner yet! You don't have much time to train your tricks, dude!"

Just as the girls were reaching their way towards the shore where the target surfer boy was standing, Kaito continued to approach Lucia, while she continued to back away to the ocean. After a few steps Kaito stopped and called out: "Lucia! Get over here now!"

"No way!" Lucia chuckled, not noticing Kaito's serious tone from his voice. "Come on! I'm helping you out here--- why are your chasing me?"

"Lucia, I'm serious—- I'm not joking this time. You better get back here or---"

"What's wrong, Kaito? Are you mad at me again? Look, I just wanted to cheer you up so I'm doing my part for—-"

"Erm, Lucia, I'm not mad or anything--- it's just that you're---"

Before Kaito was able to complete his concerned statement the ocean rolled in a beachbreak that caused Lucia to lose her balance on her standing and fell on to the water, flat on her back. "Aaaaah!!"

Kaito burst in to laughter and ran to where Lucia fell and reached his arm to her. "Beachbreak alert!" Lucia frowned and quickly sat up and splashed some water on him. "Hey! You're the one who backed away to the water!"

"Beachbreak... this is all your fault! You forced me back to the water!" Lucia glared at him as she stood up, wet and sandy hair, drenched clothing with more sand clinging on to the fabric of her clothes. Her body spray scent of ocean breeze on her body now became the scent of salted sea sand.

"Haha... Then again just looking at you all wet like that makes you look rather hot and sexy... the wet clothes all clinging to your body like that, showing your perfectly-shaped curves... man that turns me on, girl... " Right then he gave a wink at her, which made Lucia blush and embarrassed all at the same time.

"Perv!" Lucia continued to splash more water at Kaito as the surfer boy quickly dodged the water from her, laughing at the same time.

Kaito heard the huge stampede of girls halting the sand before they made a touch on the wet sand. He turned to them with the girls giving blank stares and clapped his hands twice. "What are you standing around for? Go get me a towel really quick! Hurry up!"

The girls immediately ran from their spots to look for a towel while Michal remained standing at the shore, looking rather concerned. "Oh! Lucia, are you okay?"

Lucia gave a slight smirk on her face. "Oh I'm fine, Michal... just fine... with this big ol' patch of bandage on my forehead and now I smell like fish, oh yeah... I'm absolutely fine!" She still continued to glare at Kaito as one of the girls handed him a towel.

"Here..." Kaito handed the towel to Lucia as she quickly grabbed the towel away from him, looking rather frustrated. "What? Why are you mad all of a sudden?"

"Because--- you humiliated me in front of everybody!"

"Me? You're the one who called all the girls here, Lucia. I mean what the hell were you thinking?" Kaito tried to sound more serious but still could not help but to laugh some more as well as continuing to stare at her state at that time.

"Why do you keep staring at me like that, Kaito?" Lucia began to worry as she began to wipe herself with the towel. "Stop looking at me like that!"

"I'm a guy, Lucia! It's part of my nature to check out chicks I see anytime! If I see a hot chick and then not look at her then obviously there's something wrong with me!"

_It's just that no boy has ever looked at me like that before... _Lucia sighed and quickly covered herself with the towel. "Well... don't look at me like that! It makes me nervous!"

At that moment Lucia turned away from Kaito and walked back to the sand. Just as she finally escaped Kaito she was stopped once more by his rather commanding voice. "I hope you've got yourself an extra set of clothes, Lucia!"

"Eh? Why? I can just... dry myself up under the sun!" Lucia answered quickly.

"No, seriously. I really do hope you have an extra set of clothes--- health reasons."

Lucia gave the expression as if she was about to break down and cry from major embarrassment by the boy she even wanted to be with. "Health reasons? You perv... You're only saying that because I know you want to--- wait, why am I telling you all this?! Ugh!"

Kaito gave a slight snicker and placed his fingers on his chin. "I take you don't have an extra set of clothes then..."

"Why would I bring an extra set of clothes? It's not like I go in the water and swim every time I come to the beach!"

"Luckily for you these kids live in campers that have shower stalls, so you can take a shower and get rid of all that marine bacteria and all that crap that's gonna infect you if you don't wash yourself. The extra set of clothes part is going to be a problem..."

Michal gasped and ran towards Kaito with hopeful looks on her face. "Kaito! I--- I have an extra set of clothes!"

Kaito found Michal standing next to him and answered: "You do? Great! Can you lend it to Lucia?"

"Well... I can... but see... she's a bit taller than me and a bit stockier, so I don't know if my clothes would fit her..."

Lucia's eyes widened in shock to hear Michal making this particular statement but decided not to overreact by it. "Um... it's okay, Michal... I'll... I'll just manage and... I'll go to the doctor or something if I get infected---"

"It's not okay, Lucia." Kaito gave a slight frown and suddenly took her by the hand. "It's bad enough you've got that bruise on your forehead but since you fell in the water you also have a high chance of getting infected through the bruise too..."

"W-where are we going?" Right then Lucia unconsciously heard her heart beating rapidly once she felt Kaito's hand holding on to hers. She felt him gently dragging her along with him while Michal began following the two, looking a bit suspicious.

"I'm not kidding, Lucia. You need to wash yourself. Man, for someone who knows about surfing you sure are clueless about health issues regarding the sea and the beach!" He continued to lead her to a further area of the beach and found where the recreational vehicles were parked. Many of them were those fancy, expensive luxury bus conversions that can equate in to a one-room apartment unit.

"Whoa... buses?" Lucia asked curiously, staring at the elegant-designed buses.

"Bus conversions... they're like mobile houses. These babies cost a fortune, so only rich folks have them."

Lucia remained in awe as Kaito continued to drag her along like a tour guide giving a personal guide to a tourist. Michal tailed them from behind along with her bag which contained her extra clothes. She still had the same expression as she had before but at the same time she felt she had nothing to worry about, thinking Lucia was not a type of girl Kaito would actually get interested in. She still remained her confidence within her and also trusted that Lucia would not do anything to lure Kaito to her.

"I've seen you and the dudes ride buses like these when you travel to surf meets and stuff, Kaito. I always wondered how you guys were able to afford to travel on buses like that..." Lucia continued while still stared at each of the bus conversion recreational vehicles parked neatly and in uniform.

"That was a bus conversion too. My family has one too but we can't really use it since Gaito or myself don't have a driver's license, so we use Hamasaki's family bus conversion instead. His family's got a chauffeur so he drives it for us. Hamasaki can do it himself but he only has a permit, so no can do."

Michal caught up to the two and walked alongside Kaito's other side. "My family and I have one too! But sadly Rihito's not used to driving a car himself and our chauffeur isn't always available except on special occasions, you know?"

Kaito chuckled and turned to Michal. "Guess we'll never run out of bus conversions in this town then, huh Michal?"

Michal giggled along with Kaito while Lucia sighed in slight envy. _This bites... both Kaito and Michal are rich too... I can't compete with anyone in this beach... the entire OC-5 except Rihito are out of everyone's league here..._

Just as they continued to walk through the bus conversions they were encountered by one particular hot and appealing surfer boy who almost had the same style as Kaito resting at the front of a black and dark blue bus conversion. He stood almost the same height as Kaito, same slight muscular build as Kaito, and his overall appeal were almost as strong as Kaito's own. He wore a folded long-sleeved unbuttoned white collared shirt, showing off a bit of his bare body, and a dark blue boardshorts. Both his ears were pierced like Kaito's except the boy had more studs and hoops than Kaito's and also had two neck pieces around his neck. He had his sunglasses on and his eyes were now fixated at the three incoming kids on his way. Once he and Kaito found each other, they approached each other and exchanged pump fists on each other.

"Heh," the sunglasses surfer boy responded with a smile on his face. "I had a feeling you'd show up one of these days, Kaito."

Kaito gave a slight snicker towards the boy he exchanged fist pumps with. "Dude, you know I always come here when I can. Been awhile."

"Dude, we only hooked up two days ago. Not like we haven't seen each other in years, man!" The boy laughed.

"That was on the phone and on IM chatrooms, man! This frickin' town needs to remove all the zoning and crap so we'd all be going to the same school and all that so we can kick it, you know?"

"Damn straight." The two surfer boys nodded as Kaito turned to the two girls.

"By the way, this is Subaru Shibatani, one of the best hotdoggers in the Rainbowside. He and I have been friends since our parents hung out at the country club inland and he hangs here at the S-Cube with the rest of those chosen would-be Rainbowside surfers in the future. Let's just say he's like the head guardian of the S-Cube to be sure no invaders find this strip of beach and claim it as their own. He goes to a private all-boys school two towns away from here so you guys hardly see him around town during school days."

"To hell with Bacchus Prep, Kaito. I'm actually transferring to your school after summer, dude." Subaru snickered. "I'm tired of all-boys schools, man... I've been wanting to go to a co-ed since I was little but you know how the parents are..."

"Heh... nice." Kaito returned the snicker with a nod.

"Hotdogger?" Michal wondered curiously and gazed her eyes towards this other handsome surfer boy next to her dream boy. "I don't understand---"

"A _hotdogger _is a high-ranking surfer in terms of skill, artistic merit, and reputation, Michal." Lucia explained to her yet another surfer lingo. "Like Kaito, for example. He's won so many awards and is a complete competitor when he catches his wave and rides on it. In the surfing world he's considered as a _hotdogger_. The rest of the dudes in the tribe are also considered _hotdoggers_ too since they're pretty known and are also tough competitors too!"

"Oh... I see... thanks for explaining to me, Lucia." Michal nodded with a slight smile on her face.

Lucia turned to the other surfer boy Subaru and offered a handshake. "I'm Lucia Nanami, Kaito's homeroom classmate. This is the first time I've been here but I'm having vibes from out of the blue that I've been here before, but still..."

Subaru smiled sweetly and shook Lucia's hand. "Welcome to the Rainbowside S-Cube!" He turned to Kaito quickly and said "Dang, Kaito, you didn't tell me she's this cute!"

Kaito hushed Subaru and replied: "Depends on your definition of cute, dude."

Subaru snickered and nudged Kaito on the shoulder. "Dude, stop denying, man! There's nothing wrong with telling a girl she's cute!"

"Erm..." Lucia chuckled nervously and shrugged her arms. "I never really considered myself cute, nor I even tried to be cute or anything! But anyway! I'm here because I'm in a band... and this girl next to me is Michal Amagi--- she's the younger sister of my band's lead singer and bass player, Rihito Amagi..."

"Ohhh!" Subaru shook hands with Michal while the younger girl greeted him with a smile on her face. "So both of you girls are surf band players?"

"Oh no!" Michal chuckled. "Just Lucia and my brother Rihito... I'm just merely a supporter, you know? I don't really have much talent!"

"Well, you're here... and man, Rihito Amagi? He used to be the leader of the Rainbowside years ago until he quit to go to college, so of course you're always welcome here!"

"Thanks!" Michal cheered happily while Lucia laughed along with them.

"Anyway," Kaito changed the subject. "Subaru, do you mind if we use your bus conversion for a bit? Lucia needs her shower."

Lucia lowered her head in embarrassment while Subaru gave a slight snicker. "Let me guess--- you tripped down the water and wet all over, right?" The completely drenched girl nodded shyly. "Well, the shower's inside. Go for it!"

"Awesome! Thanks!" Kaito proceeded and opened the door of the bus converter as he and Lucia come inside. Michal gave her bag to Kaito for the extra set of clothes. Kaito closed the door, leaving Michal and Subaru outside.

"Darn..." Michal snapped her fingers, scratching her head gently. "I just realized that those extra pair of clothes I have in there is an extra pair of bikinis... and Lucia doesn't wear bikinis..."

Subaru chuckled softly and crossed his arms, relaxing himself against the wall of his bus converter. "She doesn't, huh? Reminds me of my girlfriend..."

Michal's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh! You have a girlfriend?"

Subaru reached down his backpack for his wallet and showed Michal a photo of the girlfriend he mentioned. Michal recognized the girl's uniform as the same uniform that the girls wear at Lucia and Kaito's school, not to mention that the girl looked more of a plain jane than one of those hot beach babes that boys love to look at. She noted the girl's long braids and the pair of eyeglasses she wore.

"We met over the Nijibe Youth Study Chat site. I needed some homework help and only signed in there for online tutoring and she ended up being my tutor. And I guess from there we just clicked and the rest is history."

Michal smiled and looked right at him. "She seems nice and looks like one of those soft spoken shy girls. I guess the stereotype of surfer boys only dating beautiful beach babes isn't always true!"

Subaru shook his head and placed his wallet back in his backpack. "Her name's Misao Koshiki. Maybe Lucia or Kaito know her since she goes to the same school as them. She's one of the reasons why I'm transferring in their school after summer so I can spend more time with her. She's doing volunteer work at the library tutoring some other kids who had to go to cram schools during summer so I won't be seeing her as much during summer, but we keep in touch."

"That's so sweet! I wish I can transfer to their school... just so I can be closer to Kaito..." Michal murmured her feelings without thinking.

"Heh... I see you got a thing for Kaito too, eh?" Subaru snickered. "It's all good though. It's natural... I mean we are talking about Kaito Doumoto here. You've got the entire town to compete with for his attention..."

"I know that..." Michal answered. "Every time we hang out at the beach Kaito was always talking to some other girl from his fan club or from those Rainbow Pop Girls clique, so I know about that. But... I think Kaito likes Lucia..."

Subaru shrugged his arms and shook his head. "Sorry, can't help you with that. The dude isn't exactly the commitment type, but I've been hearing from the competitor Rainbowsides that he gave up on that _one-week girlfriend _thing three months ago. I don't know about him liking Lucia, but everyone in the Rainbowside knows he is in love with someone. The problem is, nobody knows who that girl is--- even Kaito himself doesn't even know her name. That's just weird if you ask me."

"Oh... I see." Michal fell silent and began to ponder about this new fact she learned. _Kaito...? In love with someone whom he's never met? How is that possible? I guess the rumors were right about him in love earlier but no one knew who the lucky girl was. Oh Kaito... I guess I really don't have a chance with you then... But even then I won't give up until you fall in love with me, Kaito Doumoto!_

At Subaru's bus conversion, Lucia showered thoroughly, making sure all the sand and anything that reeked sea water were washed off. Subaru's shower was very well-equipped, with shampoo, conditioner, body wash (both for guys and for girls), soap, and everything else needed to pamper themselves. While she was at the shower, Kaito used his time by washing Lucia's clothes on the kitchen sink using a liquid detergent to get rid of the sand and the any remnants of sea life clenched on the fabric.

Kaito knew he never did any type of favors to a girl, let alone washing a girl's clothes by hand since there was no washing machine or dryer machine in a bus conversion. Once he was done with her top and shorts came the undergarments. Just at the sight of Lucia's modest-looking undergarments Kaito immediately blush. Sure, she had a plain white, truly modest-designed camisole, a conservatively-designed white brassiere, and a chastely-designed pair of white panties that neither of them smelled seduction, they were still a girl's undergarments, enough for Kaito to blush, close his eyes, and swallow his tension at the same time.

_Oh man... okay... so... I'm washing her clothes and then it comes to this. I can't believe I'm doing this... I should've had Michal come in here and do all this... what the hell was I thinking? Then again just by... looking... at her... garments... she's so innocent considering they look so... conservative. Dammit... somehow this still turns me on... _Kaito shook his head, trying to keep himself cool and calm about this little scene. Slowly he moved his hand towards the white camisole but just as he was about too, a few inches apart, he began to shake. _Dammit... calm down, dude... it's only Lucia's underwear... why am I so nervous--- not to mention totally turned on--- like this? Ugh, this is wrong but it feels so right... Damn, dude, calm down... calm down and be a man! _

Kaito gazed back down at the garments. Trying to get himself together he attempted to brave himself by aiming his hands towards the camisole the second time. Just as a few inches there and halted again. _Dammit... I just... I just can't... I can't do this..._

Without hesitation he quickly turned away, wiping off a bit of the sweat pouring from his head, and ran outside hoping Michal was still there. Once he exited the bus conversion he sighed in relief to see Michal still chatting with Subaru outside. He grinned nervously and called for her: "Um, Michal... got a minute?"

Michal turned and smiled happily when she heard Kaito calling for his name. "Yes, Kaito?"

Kaito used his finger to signal her in to coming inside. Michal followed him as he closed the door behind her. "Michal, I know this is kinda awkward and all, but... you know how to wash laundry by hand, do you?"

Michal giggled softly and answered: "Well, since the maids do all the laundry for the entire family back home I've never really had experience washing laundry at all, let alone by hand. But I'll try."

"Oh good... um... the remaining clothes are at the sink!"

"I'm sure it wouldn't be that bad, Kaito." Michal approached the sink and found the set of underwear already in the basin, laundry soap and everything, but still soaked. Right then she realized why Kaito needed her to wash the rest and giggled to herself. _Silly Kaito... it's Lucia's underwear!_

With a grin on her face thinking of Kaito's rather cute expression of embarrassment she began to wash Lucia's underwear set, scrubbing off the sand, soaking it in the water, and putting as much soap as needed. She took a short glance towards Kaito, who had his back turned as to avoid seeing the underwear or worse...

"Kaito, I'm done!" Right at that moment both Kaito and Michal were startled to hear Lucia's voice from the showers. "Hey... Michal was right... her cami and underwear fit me but then... I don't see any extra clothes. Just another pair of bikinis."

"Whoops..." Michal blushed in embarrassment while Kaito sighed deeply. "I just realized it earlier... I'm so sorry..."

"I can't wear bikinis, Kaito... don't you understand? I look horrible in bikinis... plus... they look smaller for my size..."

"Uhh..." Kaito felt more cold sweat flowing from him as he ran to the door, looking for his fellow surfer friend. "Yo, Subaru! Can you get over here in a minute?"

Subaru was back at his spot again, watching the ocean and everyone else in the tribe just having fun, surfing, lounging, or playing beach volleyball sloppily. He turned his head to see Kaito waiting at him. "Yeah?" He approached the door to meet Kaito.

"Uh... we got a little awkward situation in here... um... do any of your chicks in the tribe here got any extra clothes that are _not _bikinis or any form of swimwear?"

Subaru chuckled and invited himself in the bus conversion. "Misao sometimes would spend the night in here with me and the dudes and the chicks so she would leave some extra clothes here." He headed to the cabinet area near the shower and began searching through the drawers.

"I'm so sorry... this is too embarrassing... and awkward..." Lucia apologized while she had her towel around her waist knowing she had a camisole on top. "I didn't know I was gonna come here in the first place and if I did I would've brought an extra set of clothes..."

After searching through the drawers, Subaru only found a pair of blue knee-length shorts that belonged to Misao. "Ah, sorry. I forgot she had to take her clothes to the laundry today. I only got her shorts here." He reached his arm with the shorts on his hand to the shower door while facing the opposite so he would not be able to see Lucia in there.

"Oh, thanks! I owe you big time!" Lucia quickly took the pair of shorts and quickly slipped them in. She sighed in relief that Misao's pair of shorts were perfectly her size. "Oh good... I wear the same size as she does!"

"Sorry, that's all I can find, Lucia," Subaru apologized. "I'll see if anyone has an extra top---"

Just as he was going to continue both he and Michal spotted Kaito removing his zipper sweatshirt and then his long gray t-shirt with a wild cartoon artwork of a fat rat on a surfboard riding a wave with a huge _Surfink _text right above it. Michal blushed immediately once Kaito showed off his rather shapely, manly body and handed the _Surfink _t-shirt to Subaru. Afterwards he put his zipper sweatshirt on, leaving the zipper halfway closed.

"Here. At least no one's gonna know the t-shirt's mine," Kaito smirked as Subaru passed the t-shirt to Lucia.

"Sorry Lucia... but this is Kaito's shirt." Lucia took the shirt from Subaru's hand and viewed the t-shirt to see how it looked like.

"Ew... this is some ugly rat! You expect me to wear this, Kaito?" Lucia shouted her complaint from the shower.

"Lucia, stop complaining! That t-shirt's rare, expensive, and imported, you know? What do you expect us to do? Steal every girl's clothes until we find something your size?" Kaito returned the complaint at her.

"Fine... fine..." Lucia sighed deeply and slipped the gray t-shirt over her. Because of the length of the t-shirt she tucked it underneath the shorts. _Oh man... I can't believe I'm wearing this..._

After drying her hair and putting a bit of suntan lotion around her body, Lucia was ready to go. Her wet but freshly-laundered clothes were hanging at the window of the bus converter to dry while Michal was drying Lucia's underwear with a hair dryer. She appeared out with Kaito's t-shirt tucked underneath Misao's shorts and Michal's camisole, brassiere, and panties underneath all at once. Still feeling awkward wearing other people's clothing her appearance was pretty decent.

"Hey... you still look good with other people's clothes!" Kaito chuckled while Lucia gave a quick glare towards him. "What?"

"I've heard enough from you, Kaito! I'm not exactly amused here! I need to get back to where everyone is so we can start rehearsing."

Kaito suddenly pushed Lucia down on one of the living room seats. "We still have to replace the patch on your head."

"But--- why?" Lucia asked curiously.

"I just explained to you why earlier, Lucia. Now stay still..." Right then he slowly removed the first patch he placed on her and with Subaru's help with his full-packed First Aid Kit he gently wiped the wound she got from the major shove forward at the pickup earlier today.

"Ow... ow..." Lucia bit her bottom lip to endure the pain from her wound.

"I said stand still!"

"I am standing still, dude!"

"Not still enough."

"Stop picking on me, Kaito!"

"I'm not! Just relax!" With a cotton ball and tweezers he placed a few drops of Hydrogen Peroxide liquid on them and gently applied it on her wound. Afterwards he added an antibiotic cream on the wound. Finally he placed a brand-new patch, a lot softer than the first one, and taped it securely and snug at the same time. "Okay, all done. Your wound looked worse than earlier. Luckily I replaced everything."

Lucia gulped nervously and gazed down. "Thanks, Kaito... I guess I am clueless about health issues regarding the beach and surfing and even on travel."

"If you don't know, Lucia, now you know."

Lucia lead the way outside the bus conversion while the others follow. As Kaito exited, Subaru tapped him on the shoulder as Michal went ahead of the two boys. "What?"

Subaru whispered with a smile on his face: "That's a nasty cut she's got there, huh? Don't worry, she'll get over it, Kaito. You'll win her sooner than you think!"

Kaito turned to Michal and said "Um, Subaru and I are gonna be talking for a bit so you go ahead with Lucia, okay?"

"Sure thing!" Michal waved at him as she ran forward to catch up to Lucia.

Kaito raised an eyebrow of curiosity at Subaru, wondering why his friend was grinning for. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

"You know what I'm talking about... you hot loverboy stud you!"

Kaito crossed his arms and lowered his eyes in suspicion. "Are you trying to hint something here, Subaru?"

"Don't be modest, Kaito. You know what I'm talking about. Before Misao and I got together about a year ago she used to hate my guts too. But one day she showed me something that staked a spot in my heart and I couldn't get away from her anymore. Most nice girls have really strong defenses against guys like us, Kaito, and the only weapon that a guy should use to break those defenses is love, dude."

Kaito glared at his good friend while Subaru remained smiling. "Dude, what makes you think I'm interested in her? Lucia Nanami is like one of those weird girls that guys like us can't read what's really in their minds..."

Subaru burst in to laughter and patted Kaito on the shoulder. "You brought her here at the S-Cube."

"I didn't! She's one of the OC-5 band members! Her cousin and Rihito brought her, her brother, and their fellow waitress back at Pearl Waters here."

The two surfer boys jumped off from the bus conversion and made their way back to where everyone was at this point. Subaru continued with his statements. "Kaito, that's too bad you're not interested in Lucia. I thought she was a nice girl any guy would like to have for a girlfriend. There aren't a lot of girls like her in this world anymore. I was in the same place as you, Kaito, getting chased by crazy girls, leaving weird _secret admirer_ love letters in my backpack or on top of my surfboard, dating random babes and end the relationship in less than a week... I got tired of it all. One of the reasons why I didn't want to enter the competitive surfing world, Kaito, was because I'm gonna end up having my own huge mob of fan girls like you have right now... and even if I wanted to actually compete in those surfing competitions I don't feel like I'd accomplish anything meaningful in them anyway. Unlike you who see surfing as a competitive sport, I'm more of a recreational kind of guy. You're competing and I'm instructing future surfers who'd carry on the Rainbowside once our time is up."

"I'm getting tired of all that too, Subaru, but you and I don't have the same tastes in girls. That girlfriend of yours is kinda weird--- she acted more like one of those old-fogey truant officers or those shy and nerdy library girls in school than a normal student--- and Lucia's just... weird..."

"Eh, I was afraid you're gonna say something like that, Kaito. Sounds like you and I have a different definition of _weird_. Misao wasn't weird, but she was blind at the world around her. I was the only one who dared to open her eyes and see what she's missing because all the other kids from what I heard weren't taking her seriously or even made fun of her because she wasn't on the same league as most girls in this town." Subaru fell silent for a few moments and changed the subject. "My point, Kaito, is that the only reason why you're not happy with all the girls you dated in the past was because you always went for the same type of girl as the last one you dated. You need to break out of that cycle, man. That girl you said who saved you from dying when you were a kid that one time? What if she wasn't a beach babe like the ones you dated? What if she turned out to be a girl like my girlfriend... or Lucia even? What are you gonna do? Are you just gonna dump her and move on with your life? 'Cause if you actually did that then man, you are one shallow dude."

Kaito frowned in discontent and sighed. "So in other words you're thinking that a girl like Lucia may be the missing girl I've been looking for all this time?"

"You may never know... for all you know it could be Lucia herself!"

Kaito quickly glared right at his friend. "Okay, that's just way over the top, man! This summer, the tournament is my priority. Besides, if you're insisting me and Lucia to actually go out we won't have time for that too. I got the surfing champs to think about and she's got the surf bands contest to think about. Not gonna happen, dude."

Subaru still smiled and shrugged his arms. "Just stating an opinion, man."

Moments later, the mob of teens gave a hand to Taro, Rihito, and Hippo regarding setting up their instruments at a large flat-surfaced boulder that was used by the Rainbowside Surf Tribe as their little entertainment stage. This particular boulder had been used for that purpose by the surf tribe for many generations since the tribe's foundation that it was considered a sacred stage for the most loyal that only the hot cats of the tribe were allowed to use the stage. Because of Rihito's young past as a leader of the tribe he did not need permission from any one present. Right at the bottom of the boulder were Rina and Masahiro chatting while gazing out towards the ocean and all other beach bums having their fun on the shore while others paddled out to catch their wave.

"I'm really looking forward to tomorrow, Rina," Masahiro began with high enthusiasm on his face. "I can't wait to take you around the high-scale shops in town so we can get started on your profile picture for the tournament entry."

Rina gave a light, simple smile on her face, also looking forward to tomorrow. "Yeah. I've never been to those high-scale shops in town so I guess I can consider this as my first trip. But you know... I can't help but think..."

"Think? About what?"

"I know... I know you showed me proof that I did look like that girl on the magazine cover you showed me awhile ago, but... for some reason I just have this feeling that you had your reasons why you want me up there. I mean, I kept hearing rumors saying that you prefer those rich, sophisticated girls that you see in your neighborhood and all that---"

Masahiro tightened his fist to calm himself down. The rumors Rina mentioned somehow hit him within and did feel rather hurt that Rina may be believing in those rumors. But in some way the rumors were correct on one thing. "Don't listen to those rumors... the problem with people today is that they just love to talk smack about anyone popular and have a high reputation. It's always been like that... it's like how a lot of those girls always talked smack about you behind your back just because you're not exactly _fashion model _material. There's no mention in the regulations that you have to be a fashion model to be in the beauty pageant, Rina."

Rina gave a slight nod. "Well, that's true too... but still... I'm pretty sure you've heard rumors about me not really in to all this girly stuff simply because I'm way too cool for that. It's not that I wanted to be a tomboy from the beginning--- I just believed in being independent and being my own person, you know? I mean, why do I have to wear trendy expensive clothes like most girls do? Why do I have to wear jewelry? Why do I have to wear makeup? Why do I have to wear my hair or style my hair like everyone else? Why can't people appreciate their natural selves?"

"Let me tell you this, Rina." Masahiro began his response. "If I didn't meet the Doumoto Twins and the rest of the tribe at the Nijibe Country Club then I wouldn't even be here and I wouldn't even be attending the same school as the dudes were. The rich kids here in Nijibe are only exposed to other rich kids because that's where the parents wanted them to stay. Those guys wanted me to see the world outside the estate gates, plus the Doumoto Family had a huge influence throughout the entire estate. It's like wherever they go, everyone else goes. Between them and my stuck-up upbringing I picked them. I like all the other stuff too but just being with the tribe makes living my life a lot easier and that I get to see the world outside those estate gates. Heck I'm glad to go to same school as you or else I would've known of you."

"I get it." Rina answered with a smile. "You're able to create and define what real beauty is to you, so you have your own keen eye for what's considered beautiful to you. Too bad most guys as of late aren't like that."

"Well," Masahiro smirked, "I'm not like _most guys_, Rina. You'll see when we head out to town tomorrow."

Rina gave a slight chuckle as her reaction. "I thought I should be the one who need to prove myself worthy of you? I mean... you dudes picked me for your _beach babe_ at the tourney's beach beauty pageant and because of that I have to prove myself that I belong there and make you guys and the entire town proud."

"You don't need to do much, Rina, but we also gotta follow regulations too, which sucks in my opinion. You're beautiful as is right now, especially that you don't wear makeup? I swear, God created you as a goddess with all that natural beauty you possess. Just having you up there at the beach beauty pageant truly defines what a beach beauty pageant should be like. No girl wears makeup when she goes to the beach, especially when she goes out swimming and surfing. Sure there's the bikinis and bathing suits, but makeup? Why do you need makeup at the beach?"

Rina laughed softly and turned to Masahiro with that same smile. "You're not just saying that to boost up my confidence or try to make me do something I wouldn't like in front of those dudes, are you?"

"Rina, answer me this. How can I lie when everything I see in you is the truth?"

"Haha..." Rina could not help herself but to laugh in amusement. "You're really smooth, you know that, Masahiro? Real smooth, dude!"

"What can I say? It's the truth." Masahiro returned the smirk when Hippo arrived on top of the stage boulder.

"Rina, have you seen Lucia?"

The tomboy looked up to meet with Hippo looking below her. "She walked off with Kaito earlier and Michal followed them. Dunno where they went..."

Hippo gasped in panic with his hand on his forehead. "Oh no--- she ditched with Kaito? What if Kaito leads her in to some secluded place so he can have his way with her? I can't let that happen!"

Masahiro looked up to Hippo and answered: "Kid, you're talking about the wrong dude. Kaito's got no reason to _have his way with her_, dude. Sure despite of the _one-week girlfriend _game he was playing months ago he's not the type of guy who'd do that to a girl, especially Lucia."

"Hmph." Hippo crossed his arms and turned his head away. "I'm still keeping an eye on him, Hamasaki. I'm tired seeing any one of us Nanamis being toyed our feelings around by people who hang with the in-crowd. I got played by my late ex years ago, I even heard that Nicola got played too when she was a teen, I don't want the same thing to happen with Lucia. What's wrong with me thinking about my sister, anyway?"

Rina stood up from her seat and hushed. "Calm down, Hippo. I'm sure it's nothing. I haven't exactly seen Kaito try to mess with Lucia yet and I can assure you if he does anything wrong, I'll be sure to feed him with a knuckle sandwich for lunch!"

Hippo gave a slight frown, feeling a bit of worry on his part. Just as he was about to respond to Rina they spotted Taro waving right at a distance. They turned their eyes to where Taro was waving and spotted Lucia and Michal approaching their direction. Both Rina and Hippo took a closer look realizing something different in Lucia.

Once Lucia and Michal reached the giant stage boulder area, Hippo's eyes widened in shock to see his sister wearing clothes different from earlier. "Whoa, Lucia... what the heck is that you're wearing?"

Lucia climbed up the boulder and turned to Hippo and Rina. "Look, I tripped down the water so my clothes got all wet. Then Kaito and Michal took me to one of those bus campers of these Rainbowside bums, took a shower there, and the bums let me some clothes while my clothes are being dried up at the camper."

From out of the blue, Masahiro noticed the gray _Surfink _t-shirt Lucia was wearing and immediately recognized this. "Hey... isn't that Kaito's shirt?"

"Eep!" Lucia quickly covered the shirt she was wearing and blushed. "Well... there weren't any extra clothes so Michal and Kaito lent some of their clothes and his friend lent me his girlfriend's pair of shorts... And yeah, it's not the best-looking attire either. I look like a bum!"

Taro and Rihito were finished setting up the instruments and the necessary equipment and spotted Lucia in a rather not-so-common outfit coming from her. "You look fine, Lucia," Taro made his statement. "In fact I think that outfit matches the _surf band _attire, you know?"

Rina chuckled softly as she climbed up the flat boulder knowing the equipment was all set and they were ready to rehearse. "Man, Lucia... you're actually wearing Kaito's t-shirt... I bet girls would scream hardcore just to wear one of his shirts like that."

Masahiro leaned against the boulder with a grin on his face. "You know, that's the first time Kaito actually let a girl wear one of his shirts. A suggestion, Miss Nanami, is that you wear something over it so no one can tell that it's Kaito's t-shirt."

Lucia stared at the rather grotesque-looking monster cartoon on the t-shirt and then turned to Masahiro. "Kaito sure wears the strangest t-shirts... let alone this really ugly one..."

"Then again, you've got a point there," Masahiro continued. "No Kaito-crazy fan girl is gonna notice that ugly-ass t-shirt you're wearing is Kaito's."

"Then again that shirt ain't cheap," Hippo joined in the conversation, staring at the t-shirt. "I remember seeing that character at those American import surfing gear at the online shops one time. On the other hand, no one's gonna believe that a nice girl like Lucia would wear a t-shirt as ugly as the one she's wearing right now..."

Lucia stared at Hippo and shrieked: "Hey, lay off, Hippo! Kaito loves this shirt, otherwise he wouldn't be wearing it! Besides, it's the sentimental value of the shirt that counts the most!"

Hippo still continued to stare at his older sister with suspicion: "Right..."

Rihito interrupted the conversation right after he had his small conversation with his sister Michal. "Okay, enough talking about Kaito's _ugly-ass _t-shirt... let's get started!"

The band took their positions with their instruments. Taro reminded Lucia that the guitars were already tuned earlier at Pearl Waters so there was no need for her to adjust the strings. Normally Rihito would call out the audience to give them attention but this time he decided to begin with the warm ups.

"_Out of Limits_, everyone!" Rihito signaled the band, letting them know what they're going to play for their warm up track.

"Eh?" Lucia asked curiously. "You're not gonna have a short intro to the people out there at the beach?"

Rihito turned his head towards Lucia and answered: "Well, I realized that even the music itself will get people's attention." He gave the soft countdown as the band began their instrumental song.

At that time, Gaito, Nagisa, Kengo, and Daichi met with Masahiro right at the base of the flat boulder where OC-5 was performing. The four surfer dudes just kicked out from yet another heavenly ride at the cleanest, glassiest ocean they ever surfed. Once they got to their spot Nagisa first mentioned of Lucia wearing Kaito's _Surfink _t-shirt with a rather alarmed expression.

"Something the matter, little dude?" Gaito asked in curiosity.

"Hey Gaito... that shirt Lucia's wearing right now--- isn't that your brother's?" Nagisa asked curiously. "I mean... Kaito's like the only one who likes to wear imported surf attire as well as the stuff from the sponsors too..."

Gaito nodded in agreement. "Ooh yeah... that's Kaito's shirt alright. The sleeves are kinda hanging down on Lucia's shoulders and it's kinda sagging too. She hid it well by tucking the shirt underneath her shorts."

Kengo gasped in pure shock once he realized why Lucia was wearing Kaito's shirt at the moment. He turned immediately to Daichi. "Dude--- Daichi--- you've known Kaito longer than I have... um... I wonder if Kaito is... you know... that kind of dude..."

"What do you mean by _that kind of dude_?" Daichi asked curiously.

"You know... _that kind of dude_!"

Gaito crossed his arms, looking at Kengo with suspicion on his expression. "Oh let me guess, Kengo. You're having assumptions on why Lucia is wearing Kaito's shirt at this moment, aren't you?"

"Well... uhh... you know at those movies whenever there's a _love scene_ between a dude and a girl and then afterwards we see the girl wearing the dude's shirt?" Kengo began his explanation. "You know.... _that_!"

"Ohhh..." The rest of the boys with the exception of Nagisa responded with realization in their minds. Though Nagisa was still under his teens his high grade point average in science did not leave him out of the surfer boys' gossip.

"No! No way! Kaito wouldn't do that!" Nagisa exclaimed with a fist clenched. "Well okay, he likes girls--- he likes checking them out, he likes to flirt with them, and he likes to smooth talk them, but he couldn't be doing... _that_! Man, you dudes gotta stop talking smack about him just 'cause most of the chicks in this town want him..." He quickly turned to the older twin and asked in panic. "Kaito wouldn't do something like that to a girl, especially with a girl like Lucia Nanami... would he, Gaito?"

Gaito remained silent and began to contemplate with his fingers on his chin. "Hmm... Well, in all honesty, I haven't exactly heard him blurt about his... _adventures_... with the girls he dated in the past..." Nagisa sighed in relief at that time, but Gaito continued. "Then again... anything that has... _that_... involved are always remained private. Unless probed Kaito's not going to say anything about it... So it's possible that... _that_... may have happened..."

"Nooo!" Nagisa gasped with his hands on the sides of his face. "He can't... I mean Lucia's too nice and too sweet and innocent... she wouldn't let him... he wouldn't do _that_... they just... couldn't... they just can't!"

"Dude! Dude!" Kengo continued on with his worry. "But what if Kaito actually did _that_? I mean yeah we talk about chicks a lot but he doesn't exactly talk about everything about the girls he dated... what they did... and... you know... all _that_... you know? I thought Gaito here is full of secrets 'cause he's all cool and calm and kinda quiet but Kaito's got plenty more secrets than he does! Dang Gaito, why don't you do your usual twin telepathy thing on him and see what's really in his mind?" Just as Gaito was about to do the usual slap on the head's back on Kaito, Masahiro already did the deed for him. "Ow! What was that for?"

Masahiro shook his head to both Kengo and Nagisa. "Have you _hodads_ got any shame? We're talking about our _kahuna dude _of the Rainbowside here! Gaito is the crewmaster of the Rainbowside here and he's not _that _nosy regarding his twin's love life! Will you dudes calm down?"

"Besides," Gaito continued. "Our so-called _twin telepathy_--- if such a thing exists in the first place anyway--- is very limited. I can only see only certain things Kaito thinks about. _That_... as our codename for _it_... is one of the things I can't exactly _read_, so I can't really say..."

"No way, man!" Daichi began to think the same way as Kengo and Nagisa at that point. "Maybe it's true! Maybe Kaito and Lucia Nanami have... well... well, think of it this way, dudes! You know how those two haven't spoken to each other in two weeks until earlier today? Have y'all noticed Kaito's behavior towards Lucia Nanami lately? He was always... you know... next to her... and whenever the Nanami girl's alone he'd join her and keep her company? And then what... they both disappeared until it was time for OC-5 to rehearse. Lucia Nanami shows up wearing Kaito's t-shirt... what happened to her own clothes? I mean those shorts she was wearing isn't even hers because she wore a different style of shorts today!"

"Oh no... Kaito... Um..." Nagisa began to scratch his head to think. "Kaito, you'll always be my master and my role model regardless of... what you did..."

"Then it's true!" Kengo shrieked, completely in shock at the moment. "It's true! It's official! Our _kahuna dude _of Rainbowside really did... _that_!"

Before the others were about to answer, a familiar voice startled the entire tribe with the statement: "I really did what, Kengo?"

"GAH!" The boys quickly turned around to see Kaito and Subaru standing, with Subaru saluting the rest of the boys with a two-finger salute.

"Kaito!" Nagisa ran to him like a little boy looking up to an older brother. "Please... say it ain't so!"

Kengo bent down towards him as if he was pleading. "Kaito... I know we're all young and everything but--- you are seriously _the _man! _The man_, I'm telling you! The man!"

Masahiro shook his head and nudged Kengo on the side with his leg. "Dude, get up! You look pitiful bending down on him like that."

"What's going on, yo?" Kaito asked curiously with his arms shrugging. "What the hell did I do now?"

Subaru patted Kaito on the shoulder with a grin on his face. "I think the competitor dudes are getting the wrong ideas with the sweet Lucia wearing your shirt, dude."

Kaito shook his head and suddenly slapped Kengo's head from the back. "Dude, I'm a top-notch surfer, not a man whore! I can't believe you'd think of me like that! Okay, so Lucia's wearing my shirt, big deal! The poor girl tripped in the water and needed to wash herself or she'll get infected by those microbe invaders of the sea! It's bad enough she's got that bruise on her forehead..."

"See! I knew it!" Nagisa pumped his fists of victory up in the air. "I _knew _you wouldn't do _that_! You're way too cool to do _that _at such a young age!"

"Nagisa, you sound like an old fogey when you said that." Masahiro rolled his eyes with his arms crossed. "Kaito, it's okay. Lucia explained the entire story, so I already know."

Subaru cleared his throat and began his statement. "With God, Michal Amagi, and myself as witnesses, we can assure you that nothing happened. It's just that no one had an extra set of clothes that fit her so we all just chipped in."

"Instructor Shibatani always speaks the truth, man! Nothing happened!" Daichi gave a thumbs up and patted Subaru on the shoulder. "Long time no talk, dude, how you been?"

"Stop playing it off, Daichi!" Kengo frowned right at his best friend. "You were panicking too about the entire issue! Man, why am I always the one who gets smacked on the head?"

Gaito shrugged his arms. "What can I say, Kengo? We need a comic relief in the tribe and judging by the unanimous reactions towards you, you're it." Kengo lowered his head and sighed sadly.

After a few minutes, the song ended and the OC-5 re-adjusted their positions as Rihito began speaking through the microphone. "What's up, Rainbowside Surf Tribe? Thanks for having the OC-5 to rehearse and perform for all of you here at the Rainbowside S-Cube! We're happy to be here and we're glad we're able to introduce ourselves to you dudes and babes out there!" With that the entire tribe's eyes were facing towards OC=5.

"No way... it worked!" Lucia gasped and turned to Taro, standing next to her. "How does Rihito do it?"

"He's an orchestra conductor, Cousin," Taro grinned while quickly checking the strings of his guitar. "Except he's got the looks, the style, the charm--- he's redefining the rep of a concert maestro."

"But he's in a surf band this summer," Lucia responded curiously.

"Okay... except in the summer... heh."

Rihito was able to round up the entire tribe and continued on. "We've got this little jam that the band and I came up with not too long ago and we're thinking of playing this song for the surf bands contest segment of the tourney, but at the same time we dedicate this to all the hotdoggers--- and probably the hotdoggettes-- out there who will take the Rainbowside and Nijibe all the way to the championship throne for this very first all-around surf scenes tourney coming up next month. So dudes, grab a babe and jam along with us!"

He turned to the band, gave a small countdown, and Taro gave the first few notes on his guitar ripping, which gave the rest of the band a sign regarding the song they need to play. After a brief intro with Taro's skillful guitar rips, Rihito took the mic again for his lead voice:

_We were takin' my ride and headin' on down_

_Where the cool cool surfers all gather round_

_Got a brand new board and I'm ready to fly_

_I'll be shootin' the curl before the sun is high_

_Show those hodads, grommets, heroes too_

_The kinda' high ridin' real surfers too_

When the refrain came almost every one present grabbed a partner and began to dance. Right then the entire band began singing:

_Well I'm a high ridin' surfer and it takes three crunchers _

_And a heavy to wipe me out_

_I can do a double spinner before you count to three_

_Whoa oh, King of the Surf, that's me_

_Whoa oh, King of the Surf, that's me_

In the meantime at Pearl Waters, the dining area had been busy as ever, but despite of that the juice and coffee bar was still the hot spot of the establishment. There had been a few improvements made, and thanks to Maki's brother and their buddies at their family surf shop Pearl Waters now have music--- primarily surf rock and beach pop--- being played on the ceiling speakers to bring in the beach life mood in the atmosphere. There were new posters based on the breathtaking ocean photography of the young Hippo Nanami. Nicola the manager finally approved the idea of posting posters and large-sized photos of actual surfers in action; not just any surfer but a surfer from the known to the unknown who were born, bred, and raised in Nijibe. What set them back at this point was that Nicola felt they needed permission from the actual surfers to post these posters and photos on their walls.

For Nicola, this was going to be a huge challenge. She could ask Maki, his brother, and their surf shop buddies to make contacts with these surfers around town for permission but as manager she felt that she needed to do all these herself. The only problem for the ambitious manager was that she would have to overcome her comfort zone and open herself up to these Kaigara Boulevard outsiders to speak to them.

At this time, Nicola was at the attic to see if she can dig up any more memorabilia of past surfers and see if she can use them for the walls without calling them up for permission. She was able to gather a few of these framed photos and posters--- all autographed and dated several years from this year--- wiped them off gently to get rid of the allocated dust that was collecting on them. As she pulled out more old cardboard boxes filled with more memorabilia of her beach bum days several years ago she found another storage room within the attic of the building in which she had not opened for a long while.

With the keys she had in her pocket she unlocked the storage room to see what was kept in there. She turned on the old light switch once she opened the door--- still working, she thought--- and before she entered she wore a bandanna on her head and placed a face mask to protect herself from all the dust on the air. When she entered she found a small window and decided to open it to get the dust out of the room. Afterwards she turned around to see a small stack of surfboards of all sizes being stacked together, collecting dust as they were never touched. She got closer to the surfboards and slid a surfboard from the top stack and gently released it from the stack. The surfboard was about six feet, inches taller than Nicola herself. It was somewhat of a banana-shaped board with two pointed ends, bright pastel yellow with dark lavender stripes around the edges, and underneath was a huge purple plumeria flower and three fins. At the edge near the fins were initials like the one on the surfboard at the wall of Hippo's room. She placed her fingers on to the initials of _C.S._ once she spotted it.

On the opposite side of where the initials where another set of initials: _G.G._ Once she spotted these second set of initials she began to chuckle to herself. She murmured her first words towards the surfboard once she recognized what these initials mean.

"Long time no see, _Gidget Gun_. How have you been all these years?"

With a soft cloth and an all-purpose gentle cleaner she began to wipe off the dust on the surfboard with gentle care and the ambitious manager felt a smile forming on her face. It was the type of smile in which she felt she haven't had for the longest time. Nevertheless, she felt delighted to wipe off the dust of the board. Once she was done she stood the board upright against the wall and stared at it for a few moments.

Right then Nicola was startled to hear footsteps coming near her and turned to the door. Maki the restaurant's cook stood at the door and spotted her with a slight concerned look on his face. "Here you are, Nicola. I've been looking all over for you. What are you doing?"

Nicola faced Maki and invited him in. "Come in... I want to show you something."

"Sure thing." He entered slowly and Nicola presented him with the _Gidget Gun _surfboard she just dusted off moments ago."

"Hey! So here's the gorgeous stick!" Maki chuckled and placed his hand on to the board. "She still is a beautiful gun, you know."

"I know. I can't believe she was locked in here for so many years. I feel really awful now..."

"Don't be. At least even if it was collecting dust it's still in good condition."

"You know, if it weren't for... you know... I would have passed on this board to Lucia or Hippo when they came of age but... those two never even had the chance to actually learn how to surf. It's all my fault for not letting them share my world and experience what my parents and I loved those years ago."

"It's not too late, you know," Maki reminded her. "Once you tell them about the real history of your family, I'm very sure they'll be a lot more proud of being born in the family."

"I also want to apologize to you and your brother for not going all open and commercial with all your shaping business. A lot of surfers here and there would have wanted you guys to be their sponsors whenever they go to tournaments if it weren't for that day. So many private sponsors may want to invest in your _Gidget Gun_ board, you know?"

"Haha... it'd have your name on it if that happened," Maki chuckled amusingly, then crossed his arms, gazing at the forum again. "Hey Nicola... maybe we should use these surfboards as décor for the dining room along with the ocean posters and images of local surfers around the walls. No one will be snooping around the boards anyway, plus the IDs are right at the base of the board anyway so they won't be able to see them."

"Maybe, Maki... let me think about it."

"You know what would be really cool though, Nicola?"

"Hm? What is it?" Nicola turned her head to face Maki, whose eyes were still fixated towards the _Gidget Gun _surfboard.

"It'd be nice if we also have the _Gidget Gun's_ little sister too..."

"Oh..." Nicola sighed and lowered her head sadly. "I've forgotten that we've lost the little sister too. The poor thing must be lost at sea for good now... maybe it went down the sea for good."

"Yeah. Would have been nice if both the _Gidget Gun _and the little sister are together again."

At that point they hear another rushing footsteps closing in on them and both adults turned to see the young waitress Caren catching her breath from dashing her way up to the attic. "Boss... Maki... we got a problem!"

"Problem? What is it?" Maki asked curiously.

"We got some problem customers..."

"Problem? What happened?"

"Well, two jerk-ass dudes who were picking on Seira just because she gave them the wrong orders..."

Nicola sighed and responded: "Did any of you senior staffers take care of the situation?"

"Well, Sara is confronting these asses for picking on a kid now but see, that's where the problem is."

"What's the actual problem, Caren?" Nicola asked curiously.

"These two guys are harassing Sara now--- they seem familiar with her, especially with that punk with the long blond hair---"

Right at that time, Nicola walked out of the attic and hurriedly ran downstairs to the dining area. Maki and Caren followed her from behind. Once they got there they spotted the rest of the waitresses confronting the two rude teen boys harassing the volunteer waitress Sara just for standing up for her younger sister and her mistakes. Nicola interrupted the whole commotion with her usual authoritative mode.

"Is there a problem here?" Nicola spoke with her arms crossed.

"Yeah! That stupid kid brought us the wrong order and then the big sister decided to confront us instead of fixing this little problem," the teen boy with the long blond hair made his complaint. "What kind of a restaurant is this, having no-brained kids working here?"

Nicola knew that these two boys were indeed a problem at this point. She turned to the rest of the waitresses and said "Alright ladies, get back to work." She spotted Seira crying while Sara comforted her. "Sara, please take Seira to my office. I'll catch up with you two later."

"Sorry about this---"

"Please Sara, just head to the office, thanks." Sara nodded slowly as she took Seira to the manager's office while the waitresses headed back to what they were doing before. Nicola also asked Maki to head back to the kitchen to back her Aunt Taki with the dishes. At this point the manager was now alone with the two rude customers with dissatisfaction on their faces.

"First of all, I would like to apologize for the mistake. Today was the girl's first day and she is a volunteer waitress to cover for my regular staff who took a day off today for an emergency. Second, I'd like to correct your orders and it's in the house."

The dark spike-haired young man shrugged his arms and said "Eh, whatever. This bites, really. We heard all the rumors from all the folks here that this is the hottest spot of the year here in this town so we came here and see what the entire hype was about---"

Nicola became slightly suspicious and decided to listen to the customers' complaints. Just by that statement alone she already knew that these two boys were not locals either. "I figure this is the first time you two have been here at Pearl Waters?"

"Hell," the blond teen replied, "first time we've been here in this sorry little town. Can't believe the surfing association actually chose this god forsaken town for the first annual surf scenes tournament. What a dump compared to our home joint..."

"Where are all the rivals? Hell, where are all your surfers in this town? Don't you all have a representative? We'd like to meet them and throw them a challenge for the upcoming tournament---"

Right at that instant Nicola already determined who these two boys were and where they came from. Just by judging by their attitudes alone she already knew where they came from. "Are you finished insulting our home town, sirs?" She crossed her arms with a slight smirk.

"What kind of dump is this? Where are all the dudes and the babes? I thought this town has got the hottest surf culture around this region? It's dead!" The dark-haired teen continued on with the insults.

The blond boy went on: "Look, Miss Manager, we're here merely as observers, just to see how the people of this lovely town actually live and if they're actually up to high standards of the true surf scenes life, but what on earth are we seeing here?"

"I'll ask the questions again. Would you like to have your orders fixed or are you just going to babble your little hatred against our entire town here? I'm usually a nice person but anyone who breaks _SEB #7 _are being looked down upon in this town, which includes everyone in this building."

"What the hell are you talking about? _SEB _whatever--- do you think we're idiots? Stuff like that doesn't apply to the arch rivals, lady!" The long-haired blond boy cursed immediately towards the manager.

"You don't know the ten basic _SEB_--- as in _Surfing Etiquette Bills_? Where on earth have you two come from? You come in here to _observe _our way of living by the coast and you muscle in here acting like you're some kind of hardcore _hotdoggers_ or something? Please don't insult my entire establishment with your stupidity because we don't allow _waxboys_ here."

Those witnessing the situation gasped, murmured amongst each other, while those began to laugh. The two teens began to tighten their fists in chagrin as they glared right at the manager who now has a slight smirk at her face. The boys stood up with rather insulted expressions on their faces.

"What did you call us?!"

"You heard me--- waxboys!"

The blond stood up and approached Nicola as if he was ready to attack her physically. "Okay, that did it! You're seriously gonna pay for this and I'm not gonna go easy on you just because you're a girl!"

Nicola still continued on with the same smirk on her face. "Really now? So you're going to hit a girl in front of all these customers here? Go ahead. For all you know there's cops dining here, but hey, I don't care. You wanna kick my ass? Go ahead. I'm waiting..."

The two boys suddenly freeze knowing that they already had done enough damage to insult practically the entire town of Nijibe, even if it was just on a restaurant setting. The blond teen dropped his fist and turned to his friend and decided to leave the restaurant. The other boy turned around and pointed right towards Nicola.

"You just wait and see, lady! We're going to humiliate your entire surf tribe this upcoming tournament 'cause we are destined for a sweep, baby! Then we'll see who gets the last laugh!" The two boys quickly exited the restaurant as the entire dining area began applauding for Nicola.

"Alright, everyone. Show's over. Now enjoy your meals. Thank you!" Nicola gave a humble grin towards the entire dining area and headed back to the manager's office, where she found the Iria Sisters there as well as Hanon and Coco.

"Whoa..." Hanon gasped in shock. "You were like... totally cool out there, Boss!"

Sara sighed and stood up from her seat. "I'm really sorry about this, Nicola. I don't tolerate airheaded morons insulting my little sister like that."

Nicola patted Sara on the shoulder with a calming smile on her face. "It's not your fault. This is just your first day waitressing anyway. Mistakes happen, so make that mistake in to a lesson to learn, alright?"

Seira looked up shyly and spoke: "Thank you, Miss Nicola... I... I'm sorry I messed up with the order. I meant to give the other to the person sitting next to their table..."

"Don't worry about it. They're gone anyway... and I do know that you're still learning and you are not an idiot."

Coco quickly whispered towards Nicola: "Boss... those two _groms_... they're from Seiyo Valley, aren't they?"

Nicola gave a nod. "Once a Seiyo Valley kook, always a Seiyo Valley kook, Coco."

"That's just so cool, Boss!" Hanon exclaimed. "I mean, even you can tell which one of those surfer dudes come from. I mean are all surf tribes have their own common attitudes or something?"

Nicola turned towards Hanon and smiled lightly. "Oh yeah. One surf tribe is like one surfer. If a surfer is a part of a particular tribe, it's highly likely the rest of the tribe would have the same attitude--- and I'm talking about attitudes towards the sport of surfing, not empty personal grudges, rival or not, Hanon."

"I can't believe you still remember the _SEB_, Nicola... I thought that ever since... well... You've forgotten..."

Sara turned right towards Nicola and joined in. "Nicola, that was a bit surprising on my part... how you handled those little pricks like that. It reminded me of... well... it reminded me of a really hot and popular surfer girl I used to know when I was a young teen dealing with rival surfers."

"Ah. I see," Nicola responded quickly to Sara.

"I... I just hope that legendary surfer girl would come back... one day..." Sara gave a smile, somewhat giving a slight hint towards the manager.

Nicola just returned the smile and patted her and Seira on the shoulders. "Alright, ladies. Get back to work now and forget what just happened, okay? I don't want you girls to worry."

"Thanks, Boss!" Coco, Sara, and Seira exited and Hanon remained at the office for a bit.

"Say, Nicola? I wanna ask you something. Where did OC-5 and the Rainbowside surfers headed to? I mean, I'm part of the tandem surfing team with Nagisa and they just left like that. I know it's stupid of me to ask you this but... well in case Taro and Rihito told you."

Nicola escorted Hanon outside the office and answered her. "It's a secret, Hanon."

"Why is it a secret? Even you can't even tell me, Boss?" Hanon asked curiously.

Nicola shook her head and remained smiling. "A secret is a secret, Hanon. Now get back to work, okay?"

"Alright, alright." Hanon sighed and headed back to the juice bar where Noel was tending for the time being.

The manager leaned against the closed door of her office and gave herself a thought. _The Rainbowside S-Cube is our secret surfing spot. Once a secret, always a secret._

A few hours later, Rihito, Taro, and Rina, along with a few of the teens at the beach began tearing down the stage, placing the instruments back to their cases. Kaito and the rest of the competitor surfer boys were out at the beach again riding the waves. With everyone busy minding their business, Hippo reached for his backpack where his camera gear were located and reminded the rest of the band.

"Hey, I'm gonna explore around the beach for a bit and take some pictures. I won't be long." Hippo said immediately.

"I'll go with you, Hippo!" Lucia exclaimed and ran next to him.

"Uh... you don't usually go with me when I go out somewhere to take pics but sure, I don't mind." Hippo raised an eyebrow of suspicion towards his older sister.

"Alright," Taro answered with a nod. "Don't be gone too long because there's no cellphone signals here. You don't want your sister to worry now."

"We won't take long, don't worry, Taro." Hippo and Lucia waved at the rest of the band as the brother and sister headed out to their destination. On the way they observed all the surfers and the non-surfers here and there from paddling their way to the sea to non-surfers playing beach volleyball.

The siblings passed the bus converter campers parked at one area and realized that there was still more beach but no more human presence right then. Hippo wondered if this part of the beach they ended up had been discovered by anyone around town. Nevertheless they continued to walk along the coast.

"So, Lucia," Hippo broke the silence and turned to his older sister. "Why'd you decide to come with me? I'm not irritated or annoyed or anything but you don't normally hang with me when I wanted to go to places to take pictures."

Lucia was a bit hesitant first knowing that Hippo may say something that would hurt her but because he asked politely, she decided to answer. "Hey Hippo... when we arrived here at the S-Cube... did you feel something... I don't know... like a familiar aura?"

Hippo shrugged his arms. "Well, considering that this is the Rainbowside S-Cube I'm pretty sure we've been here. Remember, Mom and Dad were surfers too during their hey days. There's a possible chance that they'd take the entire family here, but if that was the case I wouldn't remember. I was just too young to remember all this."

Lucia sighed and lowered her head. "You see... earlier when I was talking to Kaito by the beach something hit me inside. It gave me this feeling that I've been to this beach before... and I don't mean just to hang out with the parents and Taro and all that. It felt like I have been here... by myself..."

"I see." Hippo began to understand where Lucia may be coming from. "So, you came along with me because you want to find out if your aura was telling the truth or not. You want to find something that can... trigger... that hidden memory... right?"

"You could say that, yeah."

Hippo stopped for a bit and turned around to see how far they walked past civilization. The vision of the beach bums and surfer were nothing but slight tiny dots from their vision now. He looked around their surroundings and found small boulders arranged like stairways towards the upper level of the beach.

"Hey. Let's climb up there. Maybe we can find a good spot to take pictures. Come on!" Hippo lead the way while Lucia followed. Once they got to the upper level they continued to walk further until they found a higher peak of the boulders ahead of them.

"Whoa, check that out! That's a good spot!" Hippo pointed to the taller set of boulders and lead the way again and climbed right up to the top.

Once they got up to the upper level they noticed something that was slightly odd. The surface of the higher boulders had dried palm branches arranged at a particular arrangement. The two siblings gazed upward and noticed that the palm trees surrounding the beach were not lacking any branches which only meant one thing.

"Looks like someone was already here." Hippo murmured softly as he continued to walk forward, stepping over the dried palm branches. At a certain spot he began to set up his tripod and his camera.

Lucia walked over the dried palm branches and then walked past Hippo setting his camera. Just as she was nearing the edge of the walk the palm branches suddenly broke and the teen girl almost dropped at the open draft. She quickly grabbed the edge of the hole while Hippo rushed to help Lucia up.

"Aaah--- Hippo, help!" Lucia screamed as Hippo bent down and held one of her arms.

"Hang on, Lucia, I gotcha!"

"No wonder these branches were here--- there's a hole here!" Lucia shrieked in panic while Hippo still continued to pull her up slowly. After a few moments Hippo managed to save his sister from falling. "What--- what the heck is this hole?"

"Hold on." In his backpack he reached for a flashlight and a rope ladder. "Good thing I brought these. Never know when you'd need them."

"What are you doing?"

"I wanna see where this is leading..."

"But Hippo... it's dangerous!" Lucia began to panic, placing her hands on to her brother's shoulder.

"Only way to find out." The younger Nanami stood up and grabbed a few stones. He headed back to where the hole was and dropped a few of the stones. There were slightly loud thuds heard and Hippo nodded his head. "Looks like the hole isn't deep. You can pretty much jump in to it."

With the rope ladder he placed two medium-sized boulders and placed them securely on to the ends of his rope ladder and let the rope ladder roll down the hall. He carried his backpack along with him just in case he needed the other tools inside on his way. He turned on his flashlight and began to climb down. Immediately, stopped midway and used his flashlight to look at where the ground was and then frowned in a slight disappointment.

"Oh what the hell... this is weak!" Hippo released himself from the rope ladder and landed safely on the ground, still standing. "I thought this was one of those endless pits or something." He looked up using the flashlight and found Lucia looking down. "Lucia, it's okay! You can just jump down here."

"Oh!" Lucia sat at the edge of the hole and let herself drop down. She landed on to the sandy surface, also still standing. "Wow... what a small cave!"

"Yeah... weird... I wonder what this cave is used for... looks deserted." Lucia immediately grabbed her brother's arm in fear as Hippo continued to look around in a more calm and cool manner. "Don't freak out, Sis. There's nothing in here. But it looks like this cave is going a bit further."

"Um... maybe we should head back... and we can like... explore this place later when there's more people..." Lucia gulped nervously while Hippo shook his head.

"Sis, we're already here. Might as well check the place out." In Hippo's backpack he reached for another flashlight and handed it to Lucia. "I got an idea. Why don't we split up? We'll meet right here at the hole. You can see some light coming in here so it should be easy to spot. You take the other way and I'll go this way.

"But Hippo---"

"Come on Lucia, don't tell me you're scared..."

Lucia shrieked and glared towards Hippo. "I'm not scared, Hippo!"

The younger brother snickered. "Well then. See you here at the hole!" He waved at his older sister as he took his path.

"Oh... darn..." Lucia sighed and took the other way with her flashlight on. As she continued on her path she found her pathway getting brighter and brighter. That can mean one thing. The end of her path was an opening. Once she determined this she turned off her flashlight and began to run forward, following the path where the light was headed.

As the path became brighter and brighter Lucia continued to dash her way forward, feeling a lot more confident that there was no danger heading her path. She can feel the rush of curiosity building up within her as the path's light became a lot more visible. Right ahead of her was an opening leading outside.

_No way! I'm at the cave's exit! Yes! _Lucia became excited and dashed her way towards the exit. Just a few feet closer and instead she felt something hard on her left leg and found herself falling right on to the sandy ground.

"Ugh..." Lucia groaned in pain as she grabbed her left ankle. "Ouch... I can't believe I tripped..." She immediately punched the sandy ground in chagrin and shook her head. "I can't believe I'm so clumsy today! First I get my forehead hit on the back window of the pickup truck thanks to Taro's braking; next I trip myself in the water because Kaito was getting all weird at me; now I trip over something because---"

Slowly she turned to the ground and found one strange object that looked to be made of plastic. She crawled her way to it and quickly touched the object that tripped her foot. _Hey... it's made of plastic... what the heck is this?_ Right then she began to dig the sand that covered it and uncovered that there wasn't just one plastic object but there were three, arranged on a triangle. She examined the three objects and recognized the shapes.

_Wait a minute... they look like fins... Yeah, that's it! Fins--- of a surfboard! _Quickly Lucia began to dig the sand out to uncover the rest of those three objects until it was clear enough for her to identify.

"I was right... it is a surfboard!" She began to examine the design pattern of the surfboard as well as the shape. _Hm... this is pretty long... looks taller than my height, that's for sure... and the rocker is sorta shaped like a banana... and the foil is thin... the rails are kinda low... Hey! This is a gun board!_

Lucia slowly lifted the sand-buried surfboard and stood it against the cave wall. At the bottom near the tail area were two initials on both sides. Her left side had the initials _C.S. _and _G.G. II _on the opposite. At the bottom nose area are two plumeria flower design with the top flower being dark purple and the bottom flower being light lavender, close to pastel pink. The edges were dark purple stripe. Right at first sight, faint images began to appear in her mind, just like earlier. In fact, the images were that of her own love story seven years ago.

*********

"_Mom... Dad... I'll find you... I'm going to find you..."_

_A young girl, about the age of seven and filled with tears, dashed through the beach carefully, dragging along a surfboard she just picked up from the beach on the way--- a gun, as a matter of fact--- by the surfboard's leash. Though it was light to drag the little girl had a hard time dragging it. Luckily for her the board itself was not damaged while being dragged against the soft sand._

"_I... I can surf a little bit... I've watched you..." The little girl found the sea and climbed on to the surfboard, lying with her face forward, and began to paddle to the sea. Though she looked rather frail by appearance she seemed to have sufficient strength to paddle the board. Luckily for her the ocean was calm and there were no huge breakers rolling in and she was able to ride the surfboard forward._

_Just as she was already far away from the shore she was ready to jump underwater. Her aim was to find her missing parents whom she felt were still alive. Her parents disappeared earlier that day when a huge, giant wave suddenly broke and swallowed both of them to the bottom of the sea. Using what she observed from her parents and from the local surfers around she applied them on her current situation. Knowing the surfboard can float on the ocean she placed the leash around her left ankle and tested the string to be sure that it was stretchable and that she can easily retort back to her forum._

_Though she was ready to jump out she heard an angelic singing voice not too far from where she was located. She had a choice whether she should dive in the water to look for her missing parents or follow where that voice was coming from. Since she was at a close distance anyway she decided to choose the latter and paddled her board towards where the singing voice was coming from._

_As the voice got louder the girl knew she was very close. Just as she could hear the singing voice loud enough she listened to the song carefully._

_The lonely sea_

_The lonely sea_

_It never stops_

_For you or me_

_It moves along_

_From day to day_

_The words from the song immediately touched her heart and found herself crying some more like she did earlier today. She decided to paddle closer and closer until she stumbled upon a small lighted boat. The light from the boat gave her way there without even worrying about any waves rolling in. Right then she found a young boy around the girl's age with a rather sad face and eyes filling up with tears. He continued on singing with his face towards the ocean._

_That's why my heart  
That's why my heart  
Will never stay_

_Will never stay_

"_Please don't say that!" From out of the blue the girl called out to the boy knowing that the song he was singing was becoming more melancholic than ever. "Please..."_

"_Huh? Who's there?" The boy gasped and began to turn his head in all directions. Right then the girl paddled forward until she reached the boat and looked up to him._

"_Please... don't sing that sad song... it makes me cry more..."_

_The boy slowly turned to where the girl's voice was coming from and finally found her, looking directly towards him. At that moment the girl found herself blushing in awe, not anticipating that not only the voice was angelic but also the boy's tender, innocent face as well. She felt her heart beating rapidly and her rescue mission of her missing parents suddenly faded. Her mind became fixated towards this boy and fortunately for her, she also got the boy's attention to her._

"_You're crying too..." The boy spoke in a very soft and gentle voice. He walked to the side of the boat where the girl was looking up, still sitting on the surfboard. "What's wrong?"_

_The girl suddenly began to cry herself and answered slowly: "My mom... and my dad... they disappeared... somewhere in the sea... and I want to find them..."_

"_Really?" The boy gasped in shock and answered her in a soft whisper. "But... my mom and dad too... they disappeared somewhere in the sea... but I now know they'll never come back. That's why I was singing that song... it's my way of saying... goodbye..."_

"_No..." The girl continued to cry some more. "Then... that means... my mom... and my dad... they're... they're..."_

"_Please... please don't cry..." The boy whispered again in a more gentler voice than earlier. Somehow the tone of his voice touched the girl's heart once again and decided to wipe out her tears. "Hey... I got an idea."_

_The girl looked at him curiously, still wiping out her tears. "What... what is it?"_

"_Do you want to sing a song with me... a happy song this time. In that way, you and I won't cry anymore."_

"_But... what are we gonna sing about? I'm... not a very good singer... everyone says my voice is horrible..."_

_The boy just shook his head and just smiled at her. "I don't care. It's just you and me out here now."_

"_But..."_

"_I'll start... okay? And just follow along. In that way, you won't sound horrible like everyone says. Just listen to me... and just sing what's in your mind. Just sing what your heart tells you."_

_The girl shyly nodded as she waited for the boy to begin his song._

_You're the one  
You're the one I'll live and die for_

_You're the one I'll laugh and cry for  
Nobody but you_

_As he sang his verse, the girl felt her heart sending messages to her mind like it was completely natural to her. The words immediately formed right in her mind as the messages were being transferred from her heart. Once the boy's verse was over, the girl immediately sang her turn._

_You're the one_

_You're the one I'll walk and dance with_

_You're the one I'll take a chance with_

_Nobody but you_

_When she was finished she realized that she was no longer singing out of tune. In fact she thought that she sang beautifully. She knew right away because the boy continued smiling at her as if he wanted to hear more of her singing. When she got the signal from his expression alone she continued._

_No one understands you  
No one seems to care_

_The boy continued from where the girl left off with his own words. Once he sang he looked happier than he was earlier as if he really meant to sing them to the girl._

_When things go bad and you are sad_

_That's when I'll be there_

_The girl blushed even more and also expressed happiness once she heard those lines. Right then, they both finish with the first verse the boy started._

_You're the one_

_You're the one I'll live and die for  
You're the one I'll laugh and cry for  
Nobody but you_

_No... nobody but you  
_

_After the song was finished the two kids burst in to laughter, knowing both not only liked the song they made up together but they also enjoyed singing it together. After the laughter was over the two gazed at each other's eyes again. Right then, both the girl and the boy already knew that they had just found their first love._

"_So, what's your name?" The boy asked curiously, still giving that gentle and kind smile towards her._

"_Well... people call me Leolani." The girl, called Leolani, answered humbly. "Stupid name, huh?"_

"_I think it's a beautiful name. It suits you." The boy answered right away, making young Leolani blush even more._

"_What's your name?" Leolani asked curiously._

"_Me? Well... people call me---" Just as the boy was going to mention his name both heard a loud rush coming from the distance of the sea approaching them. Both froze in shock as they instantly recognized the rushing sounds of the water. It sounded like a storm was coming upon them, but as the two children turned to the sea and gazed forward, the girl shrieked in fear._

"_No..." The boy murmured, quickly identified what the incoming danger was. "Dainami-Oni..."_

"_What?" Leolani called out to the boy._

_The boy ran to the other side of the boat where the girl was still floating with her surfboard. "You have to head back to the shore, Leolani! Hurry! The Dainami-Oni is back!"_

"_I can't! What about you?" Leolani exclaimed with her eyes becoming teary-eyed again._

"_Don't worry about me! I'll catch up to you! I can't leave my family here! Hurry! Go!"_

_Just as Leolani was about to answer, it was too late. The giant 65-foot wave rolled in on to the boy's boat, pulling in the boat and the boy falling off and sinking down to the water._

"_No... no!" Leolani cried and without any hesitation she jumped off of her surfboard and swam as far as the leash would let her downward. Quickly she found the unconscious boy sinking down and immediately found his hand. Thanks to the strong rubber of the surfboard's leash, the board's buoyancy helped the leash pull back, pulling both Leolani and the boy along to the surface._

_Leolani clenched on to the unconscious boy and slowly lifted him over to the board. She climbed herself quickly and clung on to the board with her front body flat against the board. As more huge waves began to roll in she maneuvered the surfboard to the wave's directions and let the waves take the surfboard right towards the shore._

_Moments later they reached the shore. When Leolani got up and removed the leash from her foot she used the leash to drag the surfboard along with the unconscious boy on it forward to dry sand. Right when she succeeded after using whatever strength she had left she found a lighted cave up ahead. She dragged the board forward to that cave and then reached the entrance. The girl noticed the lighted candles that provided the light on the ground. Right then she pulled the surfboard inside the cave up until both of them felt warmth inside._

"_Please... please don't die... please wake up..." Leolani began to weep again as she gently rolled the boy to the sand inside the cave. She had an idea just then. She decided to use the surfboard as their support pillow in order to have a better rest. Quickly she flipped the surfboard with the base and the tri-fins facing upward. Once she flipped the surfboard she took notice of the design. Her eyes first noticed there were two initials on each side: _C.S. _and _G.G. II_ ._

_Right then she began to bury it with the soft sand knowing that the sand was soft and would give more comfort for their heads when they lie down. She hoped that this would help the boy become conscious again._

_Leolani bent down to see if he was breathing. Thank the stars, she thought. The boy was still breathing normally. She grabbed the candles in the cave and placed them closer to where they were and decided to wait until he woke up. She lied down next to him with her head on the sand-covered surfboard and wrapped her arms around the unconscious boy to keep him warm. She placed her head on to his shoulder and continued to whisper._

"_Please... please wake up... You can't die yet... not yet... It's bad enough I already lost my parents and you lost yours... But I don't want to lose you too, I mean I just met you and... and... and I don't even know your name..."_

_The girl waited for a few moments for him to wake up. After realizing that she waited too long and the boy still had not opened his eyes she began to worry even more. In addition to that, she was beginning to yawn and was ready to fall asleep. She felt more tears trickling down her cheeks again and held the boy's hands to hers. She still continued to speak to him but it was still no use._

_Then unconsciously she turned to a friendship bracelet on her right wrist and placed it on to the boy's right wrist just in case he woke up and decided to walk off. Afterwards without hesitation, Leolani lowered herself to the boy and gently kissed him on his lips. Finally she lied back down, placing her arms around the boy, and cried herself to sleep._

Lucia found herself back to the present again and her eyes were still fixated towards the recently uncovered surfboard, but this time there were tears falling on her cheeks. The tears were there because now she remembered and why she felt so familiar with the Rainbowside S-Cube in the first place. The surfboard she uncovered helped her remember the entire story.

_Of course... I didn't swim all the way out in the ocean like I mentioned before--- I was riding this surfboard to get there! That's why I was able to get out there on the sea without being much in danger! But still... I still don't know the boy's name. Oh it's so unfair... it's so unfair that he had to disappear the next day!_

The teen girl slowly wiped her tears while still gazing at the board. Right then she also realized a few more facts. _That wasn't a storm like I thought... it was... it was that Dainami-Oni big giant wave thing that Hippo was talking about a few weeks ago... and what's weird... Leolani? Why did I introduce myself as Leolani? Where did that name come from?_

Just as she continued to contemplate she heard her brother calling out for her name from inside the cave. "Lucia! Where are you?"

Lucia snapped back to reality and turned to see her younger brother Hippo approaching her. "Oh, Hippo!"

Hippo reached his sister, panting to catch his breath. "There you are, Lucia... this is a pretty small cave! Man... I thought we'd find some ancient buried treasure in here or something..."

"Well... I found something alright..." Lucia answered and pointed at the surfboard. "I tripped on that and uncovered it. I noticed that it's a gun so obviously it was used for giant wave surfing. Do you know anything about this board?" _Well... anything other than me using it to meet my first love..._

"Hm..." Hippo approached the board and examined it on all sides, design, and detail. Then he noticed the initials near the tri-fin. He placed his fingers on to the _C.S. _initials, feeling the texture of the letters to see if they were decals or originally painted along with the rest of the design. He stood up and turned to his sister with a rather shocked expression.

"What is it, Hippo?"

"You know, if some greedy surf collector finds this this thing would've cost major smackers on eBay!"

"Eh? What are you talking about?"

"Did you realize what you just dug up, Lucia? They've been talking about this all the time at the _Surfer Styles _forums and on the magazines too! We need to keep this board from outside eyes!"

"What are you talking about?"

"This is the legendary gun board of Cole Seahart! Lots of collectors and enthusiasts have been looking for this baby for seven years, Sis! This is the board that Cole Seahart rode on when she set that record of riding a 65-feet _Dainami-Oni _wave at the regional surfing tournament back then! I know that this is it because of the other set of initials--- _G.G. II_!"

"I'm not sure if I follow you, Hippo." Lucia scratched her head curiously, still staring at the board.

"_G.G. II, _Lucia! _Gidget Gun the Second_!That's the name of her board according to the articles in the old _Surfer Styles _magazine issues! Lucia, do you know what this means?"

"No... I don't know what it means..."

"It means that whoever placed those palm branches to cover up the hole--- I bet one of them was Cole Seahart! Maybe she buried her legendary surfboard here so no greedy collectors would find it and then sell it off on eBay or those fancier auctions like Christie's in America. Lucia--- we are standing at the _real _S-Cube of the Rainbowside! This cave is the _true _secret surfing spot of the Rainbowside Surf Tribe! Look at the ocean from the opening of this cave! The swells here are a lot more active and are bigger than the beach where everyone was hanging out! This particular cave was probably like their camping area or their party area... well whatever it is, this cave is the center point of the tribe. They probably held secret meetings here where no one in the public or the media could find them. We've hit the motherload, Lucia!"

"Okay, Hippo... you're going crazy again... calm down!" Lucia wanted to tell Hippo that she was the one who buried the surfboard in the sand when she saved the mysterious handsome boy she fell in love with seven years ago but decided to listen to Hippo's theories anyway.

"I'm sure of it! On my side I found something really interesting that I decided to take pictures of it too and what I saw there is proof that my theory is right! You gotta come see this, Lucia! Come on!" Quickly Hippo took Lucia's hand with excitement on his expression.

"Wait! We can't leave this surfboard here!" Lucia ran to the _G.G. II _surfboard and carried it easily around her arm since it was lighter to her than when she was younger. "Okay, where are we going, Hippo?"

"All the way to the end of the cave. Come on!"

The two siblings ran their way back inside and continued inside until they reached the end of the cave. With their flashlights on they discovered a lot of graffiti--- more like writing on markers--- with more old surfboards stacked all over the place. Lucia gulped nervously as she began to read some of the graffiti on the walls.

"Okay... Hippo, this place gives me the creeps..."

"No kidding. This cave is like one of those weird shrine caves that people come and visit and worship their gods or something. I mean, take a look at the boulders here. There's a lot of old candle wax that's been preserved. I'm sure there were candles lighted here."

_That's right... _Lucia thought, thinking of the brief flashback she just saw earlier today. _There were candles in the cave. That's why I was able to find this cave and we rested here..._

As she scanned around the walls, Lucia began reading the inscription on the main wall first:

_Rainbowside Surf Tribe_

_Nijibe 1955/08/23  
Defending Champions – Local, Regional, National, International Surfing Championships  
1955 - Infinity  
Men's Individuals + Women's Individuals + Tandem_

She backed out slowly with shock and tripped herself down the sand. "Whoa.... 1955?"

"Yup. August 23rd, 1955. That was when the Rainbowside Surf Tribe was first established." Hippo answered with his usual noggin.

"I had no idea they've existed this long!" Hippo nodded in agreement.

"And the surf tribe is dying... there's not very many of them left because of what happened seven years ago. Everyone got discouraged in getting in to surfing because of that tragedy. But the current surfers in the tribe, like the Doumoto twins, they're really dedicated with the tribe and they're doing everything they can to keep the tribe alive. The only way for the tribe to survive is to continue competing and win those competitions while they pass on their surfing techniques to the newer potential upcoming new generation. That's why winning is the only option these dudes have. I'm glad they are doing their best to keep the tribe alive. This is why the Regional Surf Scenes Tournament this coming August is very important to us, Lucia. If we sweep the entire tournament, then the Rainbowside Surf Tribe will be saved. The tribe will grow again with new and upcoming surfers. Not just that, there'll be more surfer girls and tandem surfers too. If you read more on the sides you'll see how many names were written in them along with the date they first joined."

With her flashlight she gazed at the long list of names from top to bottom and across. There were so many names all over that there was no way she could memorize all of them. "My goodness... look at all these names, Hippo! This is crazy! And..." She began to read a few of the names herself.

_Doghead... Animal... Sea-Breaker... Stingray... What's up with these names? How come they're all weird like this? _Lucia began to wonder as she continued to read more of the names written on the walls. "Hey Hippo... these aren't real names... let alone Japanese names... but how come some of these peoples' names are all weird like that?"

"They're probably code names or something," Hippo answered as he too continued to scan around with his flashlight. He stumbled upon the last few lines of names slightly at the bottom and discovered something rather bizarre. "Hey Lucia, come take a look at this!"

Lucia approached her brother and looked down. "What is it?"

"Read the last name on the list."

Lucia pointed her flashlight to the last name and read it aloud: "Nagisa Shiroi."

"Now, look at the names before Shiroi's. The year he joined was last year, so yeah, he's definitely the _grommet_ of the tribe."

"Okay." Lucia read the next line before Nagisa's name appeared on the list: "Kengo... three years ago... Daichi... four years ago... Subaru Shibatani... six years ago... Masahiro Hamasaki... ten years ago... Rihito Amagi... twelve years ago..." As she continued to read the names she realized what Hippo was trying to point. "Hippo! This... you're right! Where are the Doumoto Twins' names? Why aren't they here? They should be like... in between Hamasaki's and Rihito's names!"

Hippo nodded and shook his head. "This is really weird, Lucia. I mean Gaito Doumoto is the crewmaster of the entire tribe! He replaced Rihito Amagi after he resigned to go to college. I don't get it... his name and Kaito's name should be in between Rihito's and Hamasaki's names... why aren't they on the list?"

"Who usually writes these names on the walls whenever they get a new recruit in the tribe, Hippo?"

"Probably the crewmaster... or the entire current tribe to witness it..."

"Now I'm beginning to wonder why the Doumoto Twins' names aren't on this list... I mean both of them are very important to the tribe with Gaito being the leader and Kaito being the local, regional, national, and international champion of almost all the major surfing contests! Oh man... wouldn't they feel hurt when they find out that their names are not even in this great cave?"

"Well obviously we can't tell the Doumoto Twins and those surf tribe dudes or even Rihito or Taro that we found this cave, Lucia. We'd be seriously busted if we do. You and I are are on the same side regarding this whole surfing history and crap. Everyone's hiding secrets from us about all this and I'm sick and tired of being always left out in the loop. I'm a new surf photographer for _Surfer Styles _magazine as of recent and I have the right to know all about it as a photojournalist! This is why I'm really pissed now..."

Lucia sighed deeply knowing she can't help to know the fact that she and her first love rested in this very cave. _How am I going to tell Kaito my story now? I can't tell him that the boy I fell in love with and I ended up at his tribe's secret surfing spot cave and rested here! Why is life so unfair nowadays...?_

"Look, I took photos of every single tidbit of the cave including the names--- the entire list. I made sure they were legible so we can just read each of the names and review them at home or something. In that way no one would get suspicious of us. It's just you and me who are in this, Lucia. We need to work together and dig deeper because right now I don't even know who our family really is. Nicola kept hiding things from us. She even forbade the entire staff not to talk about what happened seven years ago and this whole Cole Seahart thing."

Lucia sighed deeply and leaned against the wall next to the last few names written. "Hippo, this is just too much for me... I thought that despite that our parents died that we would be happy and we'd be okay... and now this stuff happens?" She closed her eyes, trying to keep herself cool while thinking through the flashback again.

_How am I going to tell Kaito my story now? I can't exactly tell him that we ended up in the real secret surfing spot after we got out of the ocean... and I can't exactly tell him that we both escaped the raging sea by riding on Cole Seahart's surfboard that won her that championship title and set the record of being the first surfer to ride that Dainami-Oni wave thing... He's gonna laugh at me for one thing. Then he'll get really furious for discovering his tribe's secret surfing spot cave. And then he'll accuse me for being a nosy brat and he'll never want to talk to me again... Dangit I'm so confused now. I still can't help thinking about Kaito and that boy I saved... I still can't help thinking that he and that boy are the same person. Dammit, what's wrong with me...?_

"Lucia..." Hippo called her name as the older sister opened her eyes to reality.

"Wh-what?"

"Are you okay? You're like... shivering... like you're nervous about something."

"Sorry Hippo... it's just that... I'm so confused now... I don't know what to do when I face Nicola when we get home. She's going to get all suspicious and then she'll be really pissed at us for snooping around at things we shouldn't know."

Hippo placed her hands on Lucia's shoulders to calm her down. "Sis, calm down. All we gotta do is be cool about it like we don't know anything about it. We'll deal with this later. We still gotta rehearse for the band for the tournament. Focus, Sis... focus!"

Lucia took a few deep breaths to keep herself calm. After a few moments, she sighed in relief and was feeling calm again. "Thanks, Hippo."

"Well, we better head back. We have to go through the hole and cover it back up with those palm branches. We don't want anyone getting all suspicious wondering who the heck opened up the hole." The older sister nodded as the two headed back to where they started. Right when Lucia reached the top she felt that slight pain on her left foot after tripping over the main fin of the surfboard she uncovered earlier today.

"Ouch..."

"What's wrong, Lucia?" Hippo asked with worry.

"My left foot... when I found Cole Seahart's _G.G. II _gun I tripped over the main fin."

"Jeez, Sis... you got really jacked today! First the forehead bruise, then the ugly-ass t-shirt you're wearing that's supposed to be Kaito's shirt, and now this?"

"Oh shut up, Hippo, and help me up!"

"Okay, okay. Just chill, Sis." Hippo placed Lucia's arm around him as the two slowly walked together with Lucia limping.

Once they got there and climbed back up the rope ladder, Hippo removed the rope ladder and placed the heavy boulders back where he found them while Lucia began to gather the palm branches and covered the hole just like how they found it. After Hippo packed up his things they headed back to the meeting spot the same way they got to the cave so no one would suspect the footprints they may see on the sandy land.

About fifteen minutes later the Nanami Siblings arrived and the pickup truck was already loaded up with the instruments and the surfboards. Rihito and Taro were waiting outside while the surf tribe were at the front of the pickup truck chatting, also waiting. Rina was already at the back of the pickup, tightening up the ropes so nothing slips out. She spotted the siblings and waved at them as she jumped off from the truck. She ran to them with a huge smile on her face.

"Nice to see you two back," Rina said with a calm smile on her face. "Where'd you guys go?"

"More of the beach," Lucia answered nervously with a chuckle while Hippo removed his backpack and placed it in the pickup.

"Yup. Really beautiful spots out there. I was able to take the best shots I could find," Hippo added, remaining calm and cool after the very shocking discovery he and Lucia found at that particular spot.

Taro turned to his cousins and gave a small smile. "You two ready to go home?"

Hippo turned to Taro and asked a quick question: "Hey, Taro, I was wondering... when are we gonna head back here again?"

Taro slowly turned to Rihito, and then towards the surfer boys. Gaito decided to answer the question for him. "Probably this weekend. We're bringing Hanon Houshou and the surfer girls with us the next time since Hanon's gonna be in the tandem surfing competition with Nagisa. I'm hearing rumors from the tribe members here that those Seiyo Valley surfers had just arrived in town today. We need to keep away from them as much as possible when we train, especially with the OC-5."

From out of the blue, Kaito and Subaru, along with Michal with her arm around Kaito's once more, arrived at the scene and joined the conversation. "You guys are always welcome here anytime," Subaru said with assurance in his tone. "It's safer if you guys rehearse here than back at Sector 7 Beach. At least you won't get any spies hanging around if you guys aren't comfortable having spies around you."

"I think it's best if we go with OC-5 too," Kaito made a suggestion. "It's best the entire surf scenes team practice here--- band and everything--- but it's kinda impossible because the surfer girls also work at Pearl Waters..."

"Well, I'll talk to Nicola about that," Taro joined in. "We could use a lot of workers there but we don't have enough money to pay all our employees, so we just opted for volunteers instead."

Subaru gave a slight nod and winked. "I'll talk to the babes here at the S-Cube. Most of them are the surfers' girlfriends anyway and they don't really surf. My girlfriend's the only girl in this crew who actually does something other than bumming around the beach. Makes me feel disappointed that all the other girls here aren't doing anything. Get the girls in shape, you know?"

Kaito snickered at Subaru, grinning immediately. "Get the posers to work too, dude, not just the babes. Gotta respect the babes, you know?"

"Hey, hey," Rina interrupted with an eyebrow raised with her arms crossed. "Let's quit the sexist talk, alright? Those who want to volunteer to work at Pearl Waters for the summer while the rest of us train for the tournament would eventually end up working there. As long as they don't slack off, we're good. That place can get crowded, especially on Fridays. The juice and coffee bar is the busiest and we need more people there."

"Yeah! OC-5 night!" Michal exclaimed happily. "It gets really wild at Pearl Waters on Friday nights!"

"Right." Rihito nodded and turned to Michal. "Michal, why don't do some volunteer work at Pearl Waters too since you're not really doing anything, hm?"

"But Rihito--- I got tutoring!" Michal pouted and used her summer tutoring as her excuse while clinging on to Kaito's arm. "Why are you making me work there?"

Kaito raised an eyebrow and turned to Michal. "Michal, you've been spending more time hanging out with us than actually studying... I don't even know if you really need the tutoring or not since you get pretty good grades in school from what I heard."

"Besides," Rihito added, "don't you want to support your brother and Kaito on their roles in the tournament? You won't be able to support us by sitting around the beach snuggling yourself against Kaito---"

"Rihito!" Michal frowned with her arms crossed. "Not in front of everybody!"

Kaito patted Michal on the head and slowly released himself from her. "Too much snuggling can slow me down in riding my wave, girl. Besides, you working hard at Pearl Waters encourages me to work hard too."

"Same with me," Rihito continued. "We all want to win and if we don't work hard we won't accomplish what we need to do. Understand, Michal?"

"You guys are so mean..." Michal sighed deeply and contemplated. _If I work at Pearl Waters with all the non-surfer people there then I won't get to see Kaito as much. What if some other girl shows up in his life and he ends up falling in love with her? Ugh, I can't let that happen... I just can't... but I wanna support him too... and Rihito too... so I have to work..._

"Well then," Lucia joined in, "since everyone's going to work hard so we can win the tournament, then we should all work hard. I'll work hard with my rhythm guitar for OC-5 and I'm gonna rock hard!"

"And the singing too..." Kaito added with a smile on his face.

"Yeah... that too..."

Subaru reached for his backpack and handed the newly-washed clothes to Lucia. "Here you go, Lucia. You can give back Misao's shorts to me the next time you guys come back here."

"Thanks so much, Subaru! I owe you one, seriously!" Lucia thanked the surfer boy enthusiastically.

"And you can give back my... um... clothes... when you do," Michal said with a nod on her face.

"Thanks to you too, Michal! I owe you one too!"

Kaito listened to both Subaru and Michal and finally it was his turn. "You can keep the shirt."

"Eh?!" Lucia exclaimed in shock. "But I thought you said this is imported and---"

"I know and it is one of my favorite shirts," Kaito said with a slight smile on his face. "I just want you to keep it so you can have something to remember our first time together..."

Everyone including Lucia suddenly fell silent once they heard the last statement from Kaito. The blonde girl shook her head immediately. "First time? What are you talking about?"

Kaito continued on with his usual teasing. "Lucia, come on. You were wonderful earlier today... I can't wait for us to do it again the next day... and we'll do better the next time!" Right then he winked and burst in to laughter.

"What?! You perv!" Right then Lucia ended up slapping Kaito's cheek out of chagrin. "It's your fault you made me fall in the water and got all my clothes wet and I had to borrow other people's clothes including your hideous shirt!"

Though the slap on the face did not pain the attractive surfer boy, Gaito and Taro shook their heads, knowing Kaito was just joking around. Michal giggled softly and turned to Lucia. "Don't worry, I'm on your side. I was nearby and I didn't hear anything weird. Kaito's just joking!"

Subaru snickered and shrugged his arms. "That's Kaito for you. He always does that to girls he's interested in---"

Kaito quickly covered Subaru's mouth and said: "Say one more word and I'll kick your ass, got that?"

"Alright, everyone, let's head back." Taro reminded everyone as everyone boarded the pickup. Once as they climbed down, Lucia attempted to get up herself but the pain on her left foot was not helping.

"Um... help...?" Lucia called as Kaito turned his head to her.

"Jeez..." Kaito reached for Lucia's arm and lifted her easily on the pickup. "What's the matter now? You look like you're in pain."

Hippo closed the hatch of the pickup and claimed his usual spot. "She tripped. That's why."

"Again?" Kaito quickly turned to Lucia with a suspicious expression. "Jeez... today isn't your day, isn't it?"

"Oh be quiet, Kaito," Lucia glared right at the surfer boy with her arms crossed.

"What'd you trip on this time?" Kaito asked curiously.

"Uh..." Lucia realized that she had to keep her and Hippo's discovery a secret and began to think of a good lie that would convince him otherwise.

"She tripped on a buried log, that's what." Hippo answered immediately with his arms crossed.

"Oh jeez, Lucia," Kaito shook his head. "You tripped on a log? Are you blind or something?"

"It was buried under the sand, you idiot!" Lucia shouted furiously. "How can I tell that there was a log under the sand? I don't exactly look down the ground when I walk, you know?"

"Alright, you two," Rihito hushed both Lucia and Kaito. "Quiet down, would you?"

The two remained silent as Taro drove off from the S-Cube back to the Nijibe civilization again. As they drove on the highway they can spot the sun setting slowly down the sea. Hippo continued to take photos of the beautiful sunset.

"This is beautiful," Hippo murmured to himself. "This spot is absolutely beautiful." Y_ou peeps have no idea how beautiful this spot really is..._

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_

_#1 – Just in case some of you may not know, I did a bit of a crossover here with one of Pink Hanamori's short stories included in vol. #7 of the **Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch **manga, **Get Nude**. I'll probably be having more of these mini-crossovers with some of Hanamori-san's short story manga included in the MMPPP #7 book. The hot and handsome surfer boy character **Subaru Shibatani** was the main guy of the short story along with the stern, conservative, and bespectacled **Misao Koshiki** as the main girl. Because of the surfer dude thing and the entire story took place in the beach, I thought it was perfect to include him (and Misao) in the fanfic too. Just like the entire fic, I also changed their background story a little bit to fit within the storyline. Another small fact that I wanted to add here. Being Johnny's fans that Hanamori-san and myself are, I do know for the fact that she got Subaru Shibatani's name from another Johnny's idol dude, **Subaru Shibutani**, of the Johnny's Juniors subgroup **Kanjani 5** (Kansai Johnny's (Junior) Five). I lost touch with Johnny's back in '06 so I'm not sure if Shibutani-kun is still around or not. But as you can see that Hanamori-san had a spelling change between Shibutani (the real dude) and Shibatani (the character) to differentiate from each other (then again, those who aren't familiar with Johnny's wouldn't catch that in the first place)._

_#2 – The **Surfink **character/artwork was once popular during the '60s featuring a hideous-looking "human"/monster artwork by known cartoonist and stock car designer, **Ed "Big Daddy" Roth**, most notably known for his signature character, **Rat Fink**. Ed Roth also had his own surf/hot rod band known as **Mr. Gasser & the Weirdos** with their only album release, **Surfink**. The Ed Roth designs still exist today but they're very hard to find (so far you can purchase the goods at the Ed Roth website) and are usually more of a collector's item now._

_#3 – What is **Hydrogen Peroxide**? Look it up! It's a colorless chemical formula used for bleaching, for disinfecting, and for cleaning wounds!_

_#4 – **SEB (Surfing Etiquette Bill) #7**: When traveling, respect the locals (both surfers and beach goers). (Source: Surfline)_

_#5 – **Grom** – newer term for a young beginner surfer, derived from the word **grommet**. The older term was **grem** or **gremmie**._

_More to come, obviously! Please keep the reviews coming! I really appreciate it! ^_^_

**_RATED T_**_ for the VERY mild language AND slight adult situations._

_**Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch** is © 2003 Pink Hanamori and Michiko Yokote. All songs used are © respected songwriters/owners. No copyright infringement intended._


	11. Dream Tandem Betty

**RIDE THE WILD SURF  
a Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch Fanfiction**

by Adrimarie

**Dream Tandem Betty**

**THREE WEEKS DOWN, FIVE TO GO!  
**_(OFFICIAL COUNTDOWN to the Regional Surf Scenes Tournament)_

Gaito woke up from his bed right smack in the middle of the night. He usually had no trouble sleeping at night but this particular night was an exception. He checked the time and his side table clock read three o'clock in the morning. Though he did not wake up irritated he did feel that there was something wrong. Whenever he had this slight sinister feeling the first thing he would do was to check his twin brother's bedroom just to be sure nothing drastic happened.

Though they were the same age, Gaito felt that he was a lot older than just a few minutes. Ever since seven years ago he vowed to himself and to his late parents that he would do anything to take care of Kaito, protect Kaito from any harm, and at the same time make Kaito as his priority. He did not care if he was the one being overshadowed because he knew Kaito would never intend to look down on him simply because of his higher fame and reputation. Once when Kaito began winning a lot more tournaments from the minors to the majors, Gaito already felt that he had already accomplished his vow. Even if that was the case, Gaito thought he had no reason to stop working his way to make Kaito the greatest surfer ever lived and that he should continue on from where he started. Kaito tried to do the same for Gaito despite of his overwhelming popularity for many hardcore surfers to the seasonal surf enthusiasts around the world. Whenever he was awarded and asked for a shout-out speech, Gaito would the be first person he would always thank. It was this type of trusting relationship that drew the two twin brothers closer together than ever.

When Gaito exited his room he noticed Kaito's bedroom door open. Quickly he ran to his room and peeked inside. He found his undone bed empty, which meant Kaito woke up and walked out of the bedroom somewhere around the house or even outside the house. When he came out from Kaito's room he heard a familiar male voice humming a particular tune and a slight draft nearby. Right then he knew where his twin was and approached the open glass door that lead to the front patio balcony. When he got there he found Kaito with his bed robe on, looking out at the ocean across from their house and a bottle of water on his hand. At that time he was humming a particular song Gaito was unfamiliar of, but what surprised him was that the cool and untouchable _kahuna _of the Nijibe Coast was humming a tune in general because Kaito rarely even hummed a song, let alone a song about surfing.

"Kaito," the older twin called for the contemplative champion surfer as he walked outside and stood next to him. "Let me guess--- a dream?"

Kaito took a sip from his water and turned to Gaito with a smile on his face. "You said it, Bro."

"Judging from that smile of yours I'm assuming it's a happy dream--- so happy that you just had to wake up and start a brand-new day, right?" Gaito gave a slight smirk.

Kaito walked to the patio set and sat on one of the chairs. "Hell yeah! I'm ready to start the new day, G. I'm ready to face the ocean again and rule over the seas with my sticks in handy!"

"Right..." Gaito smirked as he took a seat across from his twin. "So, what's this dream about if you don't mind telling?"

"Check it, G. I've never had this dream before but somehow it just makes me feel dang excited!"

"Alright, let's hear it."

"I remembered her name, G. Now it's easier for me to find her!"

Gaito raised an eyebrow of curiosity, wondering what his younger twin was talking about. "Her... wait... you mean the girl who saved your life seven years ago?"

"Yup," Kaito gave a slight wink. "It was a pretty name too... I remember how much I liked that name. If I ever have a daughter one day in the future I'd give her that name--- that is, if I don't succeed in finding that girl and end up marrying someone else..."

"Heh... right. Okay..."

Kaito took another sip from his water bottle and continued. "Leolani."

Gaito blinked in surprise. "Leolani...? She's Hawaiian?"

"Who cares, G? She was cute and adorable! And she had a really cute singing voice too..." Kaito grinned, feeling a slight blush on his cheeks.

Gaito burst in to laughter, joining his twin's glee. "I gotta admit. Hawaiian names are really cool. Remember when we used to live in Hawaii when we were little? Heck we were born in Hawaii too--- when we were born they even gave us Hawaiian names."

Kaito nodded and continued sipping on his water. "Yup. G, why did we stop using our Hawaiian names?"

"'Cause we moved here to Japan, that's why," Gaito answered quickly. "Who's gonna remember Kainehe and Kaikane when Gaito and Kaito are easier to remember? You know how the Japanese people in general are getting lazy nowadays that they shorten everything now."

"So, here's what I was thinking, G. I'm gonna head out at the Nijibe Public Library and look up some records to see if there were anybody with Hawaiian names who reside here in Nijibe. I mean, what are the chances of having Hawaiian people or people with Hawaiian names ever to exist in Nijibe, G? Very slim, right?"

Gaito gently rubbed his chin and began to think. "You got a point, Kaito. But it'd still be impossible because you don't even know that girl's last name. For all you know Leolani could be a second name like how we have second names and she's actually got some common Japanese name like Yoko or Hanako or something, you know?"

"Damn... you got a point there too, G." Kaito sighed and drank more of the water. "Man, I do hope I'd be able to find Leolani, G... Hopefully right away."

"Eh? Why right away, Kaito? Why wait now when you got later? We got the tournament to prepare and you still haven't picked your tandem surfing partner yet."

"G, I was going to get to that. I hope that once I find Leolani, I'll ask her to be my tandem surfing partner."

Gaito almost startled and fell off of his seat as he clung on to the edge of the table. "You're going to--- what?"

"She saved my life, G. She was on a surfboard when we first met somewhere at the sea. Remember that day seven years ago? It was our parents' wedding anniversary, but we were all depressed because that same day was also the day their lives were taken by the _Dainami-Oni_ wave. We were out at the boat on this ritual thing to say farewell to Mom and Dad... and I was singing my song for them. That night... she appeared to me... and she was riding a surfboard. From what I can barely remember the shape of the surfboard looked like a gun board. She and I made it safely to the shore because of the surfboard we were riding. I can remember... she was hanging on to me because I felt her arms tight around me while we were riding that surfboard and she let the wave drive us back to land. That board she rode saved us, dude, and she knew exactly how to maneuver that thing. That's why she's a perfect candidate for my soon-to-be tandem surfing partner."

"Well... she's a very smart girl, Kaito," Gaito said with a smile. "The gun was specifically designed to ride huge waves like the _Dainami-Oni_ and that board practically saved both your life and that girl's life..."

"When we were riding that board... it was like... we were _tandem surfing_... except we were both lying down on the board instead of standing up and do tricks. That's what I dreamed about."

"So... you dreamed about you and this Leolani girl _tandem surfing _yourselves to safety?" Kaito nodded. "Thus you want to find her and then ask her to be your tandem surfing partner."

"Bingo!"

Gaito sighed and patted his twin on the shoulder. "Well... how to say this... if you need any help in finding her be sure to let us know. You know we're here for you, right?"

"Thanks, G. You rock." The two exchanged pump fists while Gaito patted his shoulder again.

"By the way, Kaito, heh," Gaito changed the subject with a slight snicker on his face. "What song was that you were humming earlier?"

"Eh?" Kaito raised an eyebrow curiously. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Don't be modest, little brother. I heard you humming some song before I went out here!"

Kaito frowned and glared at his twin and crossed his arms. "Dude, I dunno what you're talking about. You're hearing things."

"Really, Kaito? There's nothing wrong with a dude humming a song from out of the blue like that---"

"I don't sing, G! Okay?" Kaito was getting slightly irritated by his twin's teases towards him.

"Alright then. Whatever you say." Gaito shrugged his arms and rested himself against his chair, joining Kaito watch the ocean rolling in across the street.

Two hours passed and the entire surf tribe were now awake and ready for the new day. Ever since the Iria Sisters began to do voluntary work a week ago at Pearl Waters they moved out of the Doumoto Shack and in to Pearl Waters. It had been somewhat lonely in the house itself with the boys living their breakfast meals with frozen microwave dinners and missed the traditional home-cooked meals both Sara and Seira would always make for them. Masahiro, Nagisa, Kengo, and Daichi looked rather drowsy as Gaito placed the frozen dinner trays freshly heated from the microwave on to their places.

"Man..." Daichi frowned and stared at the microwave breakfast tray with somewhat soggy pancakes, sausages, and scrambled eggs in disgust. "Dude... this looks disgusting, man... My pancakes are frickin' soggy!"

"Dude, that's the only thing we have in the fridge. Live with it or go buy your own breakfast." Gaito said with a frown as he took his seat on the table. "Sara and Seira decided to dedicate their time to helping out at Pearl Waters. Sara takes the afternoon shift since she and I still have to train in tandem surfing ourselves while we train the _grom _and the _gromette _to do the same."

Nagisa raised an eyebrow and turned to Gaito. "Gaito, I've been with you guys for over a year now and you still call me a _grom_? Okay, I understand Hanon but I know I can do this. I learn fast, you know. And I've been working out a bit, lifting weights and what not!"

"Well, as long as Hanon Houshou doesn't gain any more weight then you'll be fine," Kengo made his statement while Nagisa glared quickly right at him.

"Hanon's one of those girls who keep watch of her weight, so I'm sure she's responsible. Oh man... I wonder if Hanon can cook..." Nagisa sighed and grinned thinking about Hanon.

"Hanon?" Daichi chuckled and snickered. "I heard from some of the Rainbowside Pop Girls that she blew up a cake batter in the microwave at one time at their Home Economics class a few months ago. I'd rather not imagine seeing her in the kitchen alone, yo..."

Masahiro quietly nibbled on his microwave breakfast and turned to the boys. "I'd love to drag the family cook to cook for us but my parents can't live without the cook, so... sorry."

Nagisa shrugged and shook his head. "I can't think of any other option but to borrow my mom's recipe books and we can just buy the ingredients and we cook dishes together..."

"Kid, we got no time to cook! We got surfing practice!" Kengo responded impatiently. "I swear we're gonna starve to death if we don't eat some _real _breakfast, man!" He then turned to Gaito and continued. "Gaito, you're the crewmaster of the tribe! Why are we living our butts off with soggy microwave trays? We're all rich, right? Why not chip in and hire a seasonal cook or something!" Quickly both Gaito and Masahiro slapped Kengo on the head for that remark. "What? Dudes got needs, yo!"

"Because we don't have time to look for a good cook and _chip in_, Kengo," Masahiro reminded him. "And right now time is precious. The competitors are here now and we have to really prepare. We've got less than two months to get ready and we haven't even submitted our application entry yet because Kaito hasn't found his tandem surfing partner until now."

"Hey, speaking of Kaito," Nagisa began to wonder while eating his slightly soggy microwaveable pancakes, "where is he?"

Right when Nagisa asked for Kaito, the subject being spoken of arrived at the scene. Kaito appeared with a more stylish-looking t-shirt tucked in to a fresh pair of expensive jeans, and a brand-new pair of sneakers in which he purchased six months ago but never actually wore it until today. He looked like he was dressed for a special occasion when the boys noticed that his hair was fixed at a certain style many females would actually fall in love with.

"Dang, dude!" Daichi exclaimed in shock. "You ain't gonna ride the wild surf today?"

"I'll do that later, Daichi," Kaito said with a huge smile on his face. He took the empty seat at the breakfast table and picked up a fresh apple from the fruit basket on the table. "I got an appointment at the library in the morning today."

Masahiro raised an eyebrow of suspicion towards Kaito. "Uh, I don't recall anyone needing to have an appointment to go to the library, Kaito--- unless if you're meeting someone there..."

Daichi and Kengo turned to each other with eyes wide open knowing something shocking may have happened with Kaito and were not informed of it. "Oh no... he's met someone..." Kengo gasped in shock and turned back to Kaito. "Dude, ya got a date with a fine chick or something?"

Kaito raised an eyebrow with a slight smirk on his face. "Hm.... perhaps..."

Nagisa gasped and accidentally hit his fist on the table. "Oh come on, Kaito! Why you gotta play us like that, man? You used to tell the entire tribe what's up with you and now you're all getting all stealthy and all that with your lovelife! Hell you're getting a lot more stealthy than Gaito here!"

"Nagisa, I'm not playing with you dudes, come on now..." Kaito gave a slight frown on his face. "What do you all take me for? Yeah, I'm meeting someone at the library, but I'm on a mission, you know!"

"Mission...?" Masahiro asked curiously and returned the smirk. "What exactly kind of a mission is this, Kaito?"

"He is finally searching for his _dream tandem betty_, Hamasaki." Gaito answered for his younger twin.

The rest of the surfer boys froze in both shock and amazement at Gaito's statement. After three weeks since their decision to enter the regional surf scenes tournament in less than two months away the _kahuna _of Nijibe finally set aside some time to find his tandem surfing partner for the tandem surfing contest portion. Kengo stood up and stared right towards Kaito.

"So, you got your tandem babe already, dude? You're gonna meet her over there at the library?" Kengo asked curiously. "Come on, dude, we haven't been talking about chicks for awhile now since we're all so busy getting ourselves in shape and training our other teammates to ride their surf, man. And you're only telling us _now _that you've found your tandem surfing partner?"

"Kengo, Gaito said that Kaito is going to look for a tandem surfing partner," Masahiro answered in his usual cool and calm manner. "That also means, Kaito hasn't found his tandem surfing partner--- yet."

"Whoa, lemme get this straight," Nagisa joined in the conversation. "You're gonna look for your tandem surfing partner--- in the library? Strange place to look for a hot surfin' beach babe, man!"

Kaito stretched his arms as he finished eating his apple. "Not quite. I'm meeting with a library volunteer who's gonna help me search for my ideal tandem surfing partner. But Gaito pretty much got the summary correct."

"Still is a strange place to find a tandem surfing partner in the library though..." Nagisa began to contemplate with his fingers under his chin.

"Oh you'll see," Kaito grinned, still filled with so much enthusiasm within him after that rather nice dream he had with his mysterious rescuer who bore the name of Leolani. "She's gonna be the best tandem surfing partner I'll ever have once I find her..."

"Uh, in all honesty, this lucky girl would be your _very first _tandem surfing partner in your whole entire surfing career, Kaito." Masahiro corrected him in a low voice. "What gives, dude? The way you're acting right now seems like you already know who you want to be your tandem surfing partner."

Kaito remained silent but still grinning. The rest of the surfers turned to Gaito, who was just finishing his microwave breakfast tray. The older twin looked up and found the entire tribe staring at him. "What?"

"What do you make of this with Kaito, Gaito?" Kengo asked curiously. "Seriously these past few weeks Kaito's been acting strange lately."

Gaito shrugged his arms at the team and replied: "Why is it that when you worry about Kaito you expect me to say something about him? I got no comments about all this. If Kaito has high hopes that he'll find his perfect tandem surfing partner then it's good news for us. We can finally enter the tournament officially with a complete team. You dudes are trippin' too much..."

"Well, I don't get it," Nagisa still continued on with his curiosity. "The library doesn't open till eight in the morning. How come you're up and early and ready to go, Kaito? It's like five-thirty in the morning right now!"

"He had a dream," Gaito suddenly answered while Kaito immediately hushed his twin.

"G, let me handle this," Kaito said with a slight frown on his face.

"Go ahead, Kaito. You are the master storyteller of the tribe after all." Gaito shrugged his arms.

Kaito began explaining to the tribe about the dream he had. It was his reason why he was already up and early and ready to go. When he woke up after the dream he immediately dialed their official _surf instructor _of the tribe, the cool and handsome skilled surfer named Subaru Shibatani, and left him a message in his voice box knowing that the cellphone signals are weak at the Ranbowside S-Cube.

"So you're meeting Shibatani dude at the library?" Kengo asked to clarify the entire story.

"No. He's coming over here so we can head to the library together." Kaito clarified to Kengo. "You all know his girlfriend, right?"

Masahiro snickered and finished his breakfast tray. "Yup. Misao Koshiki, our school's disciplinary committee president. You know... bookish nerd girl with the eyeglasses and braids. She does volunteer work at the library, you know."

"Man, figures..." Kengo chuckled softly and shook his head. "Little nerd girl actually dating one of the town's hottest surfer dudes around... I dunno what Shibatani sees in that girl..."

"He has a bigger heart than the rest of you morons," Masahiro answered quickly with a smirk on his face. "She was his online tutor with his studies in his school and if it weren't for her he would've flunked and will be behind everyone else in our grade level. But fear not, he's transferring in to our school after summer vacation so he gets to kick it with us afterwards!"

"Hey, I like him. I think he's cool," Nagisa made his comment regarding the young surfing instructor from the S-Cube. "I saw him surfed a few times last week when we were at the S-Cube and the dude's got mad skills!"

Kaito nodded in agreement. "Yeah. If Subaru were a competitor he would've been my rival. It's too bad though. He would have been really awesome and definitely on top of the surfer champs lists, but like Hamasaki said, the dude's got a bigger heart than the rest of us. He's more of a mentor than a fighter."

"Whoa," Kengo blinked curiously. "So the Shibatani dude is really _that _good, huh?"

"Yeah," Kaito snickered softly. "The dude likes teaching little kids though instead of people his age or older, especially if they're girls. Before he met Misao Koshiki, all the chicks wanted him as their surfing instructor, only to find out later that they only chose him so they can get his attention. Pathetic, really. No wonder we don't get very many surfer girls in this town."

Daichi laughed softly thinking of this rather bizarre love story between a popular attractive surfer boy and Nijibe Junior High's most stern and conservative nerd girl in the Disciplinary Committee. "I swear... how the hell did he do it--- taming Miss Demerit Addict down like that... and I thought she seriously _hated _surfer dudes, especially the ones tons of chicks want to get with! That Koshiki girl's insane, man. You dudes have no idea how many demerit notes I got from her since I started school there!"

Masahiro snickered. "What were the demerit notes for?"

"For gellin' my hair upward, for leaving the top button open, for talking _surf talk_ with Kengo one time, for referring girls as _chicks _when I was talking to some other non-surfer dudes one time, and some other dumb _violations _I supposedly did... well, violations according to Koshiki's Law, that is..." Daichi crossed his arms with a frown on his face.

"I feel you, Daichi," Masahiro responded. "I got two demerit notes from Koshiki four months ago. She accused me of driving my cycle without a license when I actually got one and showing up in the school building with my cycle helmet on my head."

Kengo raised an eyebrow and also crossed his arms. "I got seven demerit notes for talking about her behind her back to seven girls who were complaining at me, Daichi, and Kaito when they got demerit notes from her for having really strong perfume on their bodies. Then later I got four more after that because I didn't take a shower after PE class and I stunk!"

The boys chuckled as Gaito joined in. "I got seven demerit notes for sleeping in all seven classes in one day. The lectures were boring!"

Kaito snickered and rubbed his chin gently. "What is this? Are we determining which one of us has the highest record of demerit notes or something?"

"No," Daichi answered in sarcasm. "We were determining which one of us has the highest record of demerit notes thrown at us by the Demerit Demon, Kaito."

Nagisa gulped nervously and sighed deeply. "I... I haven't gotten a demerit note from her but after what you guys had just reported I'm gonna have to be careful." He turned to Kaito and asked curiously. "What about you, Kaito?"

Kaito slightly turned his head away and sighed. "I'd rather not talk about it..."

"Whoa!" Masahiro exclaimed in interest. "Let me guess--- you had the highest number of demerit notes from Koshiki among the tribe, don't you?"

"Ugh..." Kaito shook his head and continued on. "I got about seven demerit notes from Koshiki last year for my pierced ears, my neck pieces, my wristbands, my rings, black sneakers instead of black shoes, top button of my uniform shirt open, and leaving my shirt out instead of tucking it in the pants, plus five more months later when I got caught being kissed by some of the Rainbow Pop Girls and the time when I got caught making out with one of the exes at the cubbies in public..."

Nagisa almost fell from his seat and gulped nervously. "Man... that means you had a lot of detention after school, Kaito?"

Gaito smirked and answered. "Detention? Sure, he had detention, but the teachers love him because he had one of the highest grade point averages in the entire school so they can't really suspend him for having very minor... _violations_. Besides, it's not like he broke the ultimate rule in school or anything. His high grades made up for them."

"Teacher's pet, baby!" Kaito winked with a thumbs up on his right fist. "Listen well, Nagisa. Don't be neglecting your studies just because you're part of the tribe and all the kids think you're cool. You got no excuse walking around and act like a moron with a surfboard under your arm when some smart kid asks you a question you can't even answer. Besides, we're a coastal town, which means we get special rules. It's the same with you being part of a school sports team. If you don't lift those grades up the teachers ain't gonna let you play. It's the same with surfing when you have to go out of town to compete in surf meets. If your grades are poor ya can't surf."

Nagisa nodded in agreement. "Oh I don't have a problem with school. I get okay grades. I just wish the teachers wouldn't be that boring or even complicated..."

"Well then. Guess everyone's done!" Gaito said as he and the rest of the boys stood up and cleaned out the breakfast table and the kitchen.

After they cleaned amongst themselves from disinfecting the table's surface to popping in the utensils in the dishwasher, the rest of the boys got themselves ready. The clock struck five in the morning and Kengo reached for the Doumotos' stereo remote.

"Dude, it's the Nijibe Youth Talk Corner with CC and Gizmo on the radio! Can I turn on and listen?" Kengo asked permission from the twins with a grin on his face.

"Dang, Kengo, you still listen to that stuff?" Kaito made his slight complaint with his arms crossed. "All the crap they talk about on air are all bull, plus these peeps are really cruel and mean for talking about other people behind their backs like that--- and in public too!"

"But it's youth gossip, Kaito! It's wonderful to be young, man!" Kengo answered excitedly. "I mean yeah, it's kinda mean they talk about other people when most of them aren't even true but you know... for entertainment purposes..."

"Fine, fine... Go ahead."

Kengo turned on the stereo and flipped the channels to the particular station where the famous _Nijibe Youth Talk Corner_ segment was being aired. The popular radio show regularly aired every Friday night during the school year, but during the summer season the show was aired every other day from Sunday to Friday, twice a day. A show was aired in the early mornings from five in the morning until eleven in the morning and another show would be airing from nine at night until midnight. The show played the hottest music but the show focused more towards all youth cultures of Nijibe, more specifically the surf culture. Listeners would contact the radio station through the phone, by email, or even by leaving comments at the radio station's blog site and whatever news the DJs can gather will be announced and discussed on the air.

Kaito was not very fond of the show itself, not because majority of the discussion were nothing but gossip and rumors, but most of all he was also aware that he was one of the favorite teens the entire Nijibe Youth loved to gossip and discussed about on the air. He had to learn how to be discreet most of the time to avoid being talked about on the air again. While the boys sat around the living room area looking rather lazy they began to listen to the show being broadcast right now.

"I hope they talk more about the chicks here," Kengo murmured with hopeful eyes. "I'm getting tired hearing girls talk about certain dudes all the time..."

"Uh, maybe because most of the listeners to this show are chicks?" Daichi answered with one eyebrow raised.

"Dang. You got a point."

The show started with a song which was enjoyable to listen. After that song was played the juicy stuff began right away. The introductions of the DJs came about and then the topic was mentioned.

"_So CC, the peeps at the station gathered as much messages as they can from the phones to the blogs and you took the time to sort out which one of the hottest teens of Nijibe we're gonna be chatting about this morning!"_

"_Well, Gizmo, I've read and listened along with the staff and man you won't believe this but it looks like for this morning's show there's only going to be one particular kid we're gonna be chatting about today!"_

"_Okay then, CC, let's hear it!"_

"_Well, I'm pretty sure all of Nijibe are aware that we'll be hosting the first-ever annual Regional Surf Scenes Tournament and everyone's anticipating that Nijibe will be very well-represented by our very own Rainbowside Surf Tribe!"_

"_So we're talking about all the surfers of the Rainbowside Surf Tribe then?"_

"_No, Gizmo! We're talking about the head stud kahuna of the Nijibe seas, baby! I think all of our listeners are already aware that this hot surfer dude's name is already synonymous with the Rainbowside Surf Tribe for the past five years!"_

"_No way! Whenever you mention the words 'head stud kahuna' that can only mean one thing, CC."_

"_Mm-hmm, got that right, dude!"_

"_And we haven't heard from him for the last three months that we all thought he had gone AWOL! Now the entire Nijibe Youth have been wondering what's up with Kaito Doumoto as of late!"_

Right when Kaito's name was mentioned, Kaito stood up from his seat looking both furious and startled all at once. True, he had not been a favorite topic to be chatted about in the Nijibe Youth Talk Corner show for the past three months but he knew he should have anticipated that he would be another top topic of all the listeners of the show sooner than he thought.

"Hey, put the volume up for a bit, would you?" Kaito asked as Kengo used the remote control to pump up the volume for a bit. "I wanna know what these losers are gonna say about me this time..."

"_So, CC, what has the entire Nijibe Youth been buzzing about our hot stud champion surfer Kaito Doumoto?"_

"_Well, a lot of the kids who called in and left messages and even commented in the radio blogs were all asking the same question. You ready for this, Gizmo?"_

"_Ready as everyone else!"_

"_Our new topic for this show, everyone, is this! 'Is Kaito Doumoto searching for his true love so that he can finally have a tandem surfing partner for the upcoming tournament?'"_

"NO WAY!" The entire surf tribe shrieked in major shock as Kaito quickly turned off the stereo manually.

"Hey yo! Kaito--- turn it back on!" Kengo shouted in disappointment. "I wanna hear this!"

"Sit down and shut up, Kengo," Kaito immediately glared right at his friend as Kengo fell silent. He turned with a furious expression on his face towards the entire tribe. "Okay! One question, one answer. Which one of you dudes leaked that out to the radio station, huh? Who?!"

Gaito stood up and hushed his twin brother calmly. "Calm down, Kaito. Just calm down."

"I'm not kidding, G!" Kaito shouted in chagrin with fists tightened. "That's supposed to be private! Who the hell leaked that out? Man, just great... now every single girl in this town is gonna be running after me right after that damn show is over!"

"Dude!" Nagisa answered immediately. "We only told our trusted friends--- fellow surf tribe peeps--- and the Pearl Waters people about it! I don't know if any one of them actually listens to this radio show, Kaito!"

Gaito turned on the stereo manually and the chatting between the listeners and the DJs began the conversation. Though this particular statement was indeed fact he sighed in relief that there was no mention of a Hawaiian girl's name within the conversation, but either way this was going to be problematic. "Then again, you should get used to this already, Kaito. The surfing media writes about you all the time. This is no different." _And let's keep it that way... at least this radio show doesn't know about that missing girl Leolani... or even that competition bracelet of his..._

Kaito sighed deeply and lowered his head. "Yeah... I suppose. I swear, my life has been an open book for a long time now..."

"Kaito, _our _lives have always been an open book even way before we were born. There's no point hunting around people and pointing fingers for leaking out that little news. Okay, so someone was eavesdropping on us and decided to let it all out in public. Big deal. On the other hand, maybe this will encourage you to work hard and find that tandem surfing partner."

"Yeah... that too, G."

Gaito stood up from his seat at the couch and turned the radio back on again as the boys continued to listen with the show. They reached the discussion segment when listeners began calling and the DJs were reading emails and comments they received from their radio station blog site.

"_So, CC, I got a couple of blog comments and emails from our listeners just now and they all asked the same question regarding our super-juicy topic of the day! The question they asked is--- What is tandem surfing?"_

"_Well, it's a good question, Gizmo! I'm not a heavy duty beachster but I did ask around the locals. Tandem surfing is basically this--- a boy, a girl, and a board. What that means is that two people riding the waves on one surfboard! Wow... crazy stuff! In front of me right now is a copy of the entry application to the upcoming Regional Surf Scenes Tournament and it says in the regulations here that the Tandem Surfing contest segment that it has to be a guy and a girl with the guy being the experienced surfer, of course. There's bunches of other rules here but we're not here to talk about the tournament itself."_

"_Whoa! Maybe I do need to hang around the beach even more and meet some kids who actually surf there. But this is a very interesting topic too! Our national champion surfer Kaito Doumoto also plans to compete in tandem surfing? I wonder who the lucky girl may be! A couple riding a wave on one surfboard... and do cool tricks... it's very uncommon and yet it sounds exciting at the same time!"_

"_Ah! Before we continue, Gizmo, we got a phone call here from one of our listeners. RNBW FM here! Welcome to the Nijibe Youth Talk Corner with CC and Gizmo!"_

Immediately a very familiar voice was aired on the radio show that startled the entire surf tribe at the living room. _"Thats not true about Kaito seeking for true love! In fact, he's already in love with a particular girl and it's for sure he's going to ask her to be his tandem surfing partner! But I can't believe he didn't say anything about it... Oh I feel so bad... Poor Kaito! I mean, surely if I was the one he's in love with, I'd definitely would be happy and honored to be his tandem surfing partner!"_

Masahiro raised an eyebrow of curiosity. "Don't tell me that's..."

"Yeah," Kaito nodded with a sigh. "That's Michal. Wow... I didn't know she actually listens to that show..."

"Dude, every teenager in this town listens to CC and Gizmo!" Kengo exclaimed happily with a thumbs up. "Those two seriously rule the air waves, man! They never talk bull when it comes to cool and engaging discussions!"

"Yeah, heh," Masahiro snickered, making his own statement. "Even if the stuff they talk about in their show are pretty much bull."

"Man, Rihito should forbid Michal from listening to crap shows like that," Kaito provided his thoughts. "Now I'm beginning to worry."

"Wait! Wait! Another call!" Kengo hushed the boys as they fell silent while listening.

"_RNBW FM--- CC and Gizmo here! You're on the air! Talk to us!"_

"_Hi, CC and Gizmo! I just wanna say something to all the fellow girls around town who are deeply in love with the oh-so-hot-and-sexy champion surfer Kaito Doumoto. If you really want to know what's up with him and if you think that you're the girl he's been looking for, you can easily find him at Sector 7 Beach with the rest of the oh-so-hot-and-sexy dudes of the Rainbowside, just across from Pearl Waters and on Friday nights you can also find the hotties at Pearl Waters during OC-5 night!"_

"Okay!" Kaito hurriedly stood up from his seat with a slight shiver on his entire body. "Now I am _really _worried!"

Gaito quickly turned off the stereo and yanked the remote control from Kengo to prevent him from turning back the stereo again. "I've heard enough." Gaito answered with a slight frown on his face. "I have a feeling that starting today there's going to be a bigger mob of girls all over Nijibe after Kaito and this is going to be a major concern."

"Why not call the police and report it?" Nagisa asked curiously. "In that way we can have like barricades and bodyguards and stuff so no weird chicks can get near us, especially Kaito!'

"Nagisa, if we do that then all the more those crazy girls would know where we're hanging." Masahiro warned the youngest surfer of the tribe. He turned to Gaito with his own concerns. "Looks like we lose Sector 7 Beach for training, Gaito. We'll have to head further to the S-Cube."

Gaito nodded in agreement. "I agree with you Hamasaki. We're bringing the surfer girls and OC-5 with us since we need Taro Mitsuki to drive us there."

"Hey, Hamasaki can drive, Gaito!" Kengo suggested while Masahiro shook his head.

"Yes, I know how to drive, Kengo, but I'm too young to go to jail." Masahiro answered right away. "I agree with Gaito. Taro Mitsuki's the only dude within the surf scenes team who has a driver's license. Sara can't drive, none of the surfer girls can't drive either, and I'm still too young to take driver's test to get my license."

Gaito turned to his younger twin, who showed signs of discomfort from his expression and his current pose on his seat. "You okay with that, Kaito?"

"Whatever, wherever's safe, G," Kaito responded with worry on his eyes. "I'm seriously going to find the culprit who leaked that to the radio station and now the entire town would be after me."

"Well, aside from hiding at the S-Cube, Kaito," Gaito spoke directly to his twin, "if you really want to save yourself from the all-girl lynch mob then you better find your partner today."

"I do plan on doing that, G! I'm gonna head out to the library with Subaru later today and find Leolani through the library town personnel archives!"

Right when Kaito mentioned the mysterious girl's name the entire surf tribe fell silent and all their eyes were fixated towards the _kahuna _surfer boy. Kaito noticed the boys' reactions towards him.

"What?" Kaito wondered curiously with slight irritation. "What is it now?"

"Um... Kaito?" Nagisa asked curiously, scratching his head lightly. "Who's Leo... uhh... Lee... who?"

"Leolani, was it?" Masahiro completed the name for Nagisa. "Wow... very exotic name..."

"No way!" Daichi and Kengo exclaimed in shock and turned to Kaito. "You're seeing a new chick behind our backs?"

"Hey, lay off, will ya?" Kaito warned the two with more irritation in his expression and tightened one fist, knowing he messed up right there. _Ugh... I can't have any more people know about Leolani... These dudes better not leak about her to anyone else, dammit!_

"Who's this Leolani, Kaito?" Masahiro asked curiously. "Is she the mysterious tandem surfing partner you plan to ask out?"

Kaito crossed his arms and slightly turned his head from them. "Well... uh.... what of it?"

"Oh come on, Kaito!" Kengo began to feel anxious. "You didn't answer Hamasaki's question, dude! Who's the exotic-named chick you've been keeping secret from us? Come on now--- share!"

"Hey, leave him alone, Kengo!" Nagisa suddenly turned to his defensive mode, standing right in front of Kaito. "Maybe this Leolani girl is very special to him and he's just being protective, you know? If he wants to keep her a secret from us then fine! Maybe this Leolani girl is shy or something..." He then turned towards Kaito with a smile on his face. "And besides... you didn't tell us because you don't plan to share her with the rest of the other drooling idiots, right?"

Kaito remained silent, refusing to talk to them more about the girl of his dreams while Gaito calmed everyone else present. "Alright, dudes, enough. Let's get ready for another wild surf day, okay? Remember--- tournament is priority. Don't bug Kaito or any one of your fellow teammates about anything personal or else we'd easily lose focus."

The boys followed Gaito's statement as they made their way to their rooms to get ready for another day at Sector 7 Beach. Luckily for Kaito he did not have to go to the beach with them in the morning. All he had to do at this point was to wait until the tribe's surfing mentorSubaru Shibatani arrived at the shack.

The sun rose at six in the morning and so did the entire Pearl Waters staff. Thanks to Subaru Shibatani and their _reinforcement _surfers within the unknowingly expanded Rainbowside Surf Tribe, the Pearl Waters staff were able to find more volunteers to work at the restaurant while their original staff concentrated on their tournament roles. For this particular schedule, the volunteers from the S-Cube Beach had been training the past week with the current staff and now ready to be put to work. Seira was placed at the juice bar to collect the payment while Michal, somewhat reluctant, became the barista for their popular juice and coffee bar. Though Michal still refused to do volunteer work she knew Rihito would be close by within the Pearl Waters facilities and had no choice but to work. Coco, Caren, and Noel were now given the summer off for their surfing practice with the boys, while Sara and Hanon join Gaito and Nagisa for their tandem surfing practice.

As far as OC-5, Taro was able to record a few of the rehearsals from other rival bands around town on his very miniature recording MP3 player and wanted to sit down with Rihito to analyze the songs they were rehearsing and see if they would compose something that would rival those songs for the surf bands competition. Seeing it will take a bit of time for them to compose some samples, Lucia, Hippo, and Rina were given a break temporarily.

For the three remaining OC-5 band members, this was a good time for them to investigate some more. The two younger Nanami Siblings needed a third person as their witness and there was no one else within the Pearl Waters staff to trust with their findings except for Rina. For Rina, she still had yet to figure out what she will do for the talent contest segment of the beauty pageant. She wanted to look in to her other talents just in case most of the contestants may probably be doing music from singing, dancing, poetry reciting, or playing instruments. Though that was the case, Masahiro hoped that she would just stick to singing or playing the keyboard or saxophone, though it was possible to do both singing and keyboard playing.

Hippo had been busy analyzing the names from the photos he took from the mysterious cave he and Lucia stumbled upon the past week. Though he was still curious as to why the names of the Doumoto Brothers were omitted from the official wall of lists there were a few names that caught his eye. Using whatever free time they have, he knew that some things need to be uncovered before the tournament begins.

He wrote the names that caught his attention on a piece of memo pad for the entire week. Then the day before today he showed the list to Lucia and Rina along with his plan. Today, the Nijibe Public Library will be open at eight in the morning. The library was one of the largest facilities in the entire region, with all sorts of various collections of archives, records, and other relevant information related through the entire region, most notably the residents of Nijibe, past and present.

Though anyone can come in to the library for their own personal research and check out books they would like to read, all visitors were required to set up an appointment with an archives and records representative before they were allowed access to the archives and records floor of the library. Hippo made an appointment in advance with none other than Nijibe High School's disciplinary committee president, fourteen-year-old Misao Koshiki, exactly at eight-fifteen in the morning. What Hippo did not expect was that Kaito and Subaru also set up an appointment with Misao fifteen minutes after their appointment, but at the same time he rarely paid attention to the surfer boys in the first place.

Hippo, Lucia, and Rina got up early, had their breakfast, got ready for the day, and were now on their way to the library. The clock just struck at eight o'clock, which was the opening time of the Nijibe Public Library. The three decided to get there by riding their two-wheeler bikes in the small commercial area of the town, where the library was located.

Once the three arrived at the library they were required to wait at the waiting lobby of the archives and records floor until Misao or someone else who works there arrived at the front desk. They sat at the seats with Lucia reading the names aloud on Hippo's memo.

"_Hi-Mac, T-Mac, Sea-Moon, Rite-O, Sunshine_..." Lucia read the names on the list while Hippo and Rina listened. "These surfer dudes sure got strange names and trends back then, don't they...?"

"I've done extensive research all over the net, Lucia," Hippo responded promptly, "a lot of these surf tribes, not just here but all around the world, would always have these silly nicknames and code names, otherwise known as _surf nicks_. Back then surfing wasn't exactly a so-called _acceptable _sport because of the culture that surrounded around the sport. The old fogies had all these beliefs that only juvenile delinquents get in to surfing so they can fool around and pick up chicks at the beach. In order for these kids to hide their real identities they identified themselves with _surf nicks_. Sure it's a trend too but that was one major way for them to keep their real identities hidden."

"Well, I can see why people think that way," Rina answered. "When you're at the beach you're pretty much exposed, not just mentally and emotionally but most of all physically too. Girls barely have any clothes on, guys flirting with girls and some of them pretend they're surfers just so they can score girls, and all other things that are questionable but already considered indecent to some people."

"Well, here are more names," Lucia said as she read more names aloud. "_Tack and Tish Seahart and children, Gen and Kim Doe and children_. Wait... the entire family of those two couples?"

Hippo nodded to confirm. "Cole Seahart, as we know it, is the daughter of Tack and Tish Seahart. She wasn't the only child though. She had two younger siblings. Gen and Kim Doe, the other couple who also perished from the _Dainami-Oni _after Tack and Tish Seahart, were also married and had two kids. It's interesting how they did not write the names of those kids in the S-Cube cave wall; probably the same reason with the _surf nicks_ bit."

"Well, it makes sense," Lucia responded right away. "I mean, those children may not turn out to be future surfers so that's why they just put _and children _underneath the couples' names. I noticed that too back then when we first discovered the cave last week."

"Hm..." Rina began to contemplate while she stared at the names on Hippo's list. After a few moments she may have a guess. "Hey... this gave me a thought."

"What's that, Rina?" Lucia asked curiously.

"The part about the children of surfers... they weren't named... I'm thinking this, guys... maybe that's the reason why Kaito's and Gaito's names were not in the latest list. What if those two were also one of those _and children_ people? Didn't I overhear one time that they said their parents were tandem surfers?"

"Yeah?" Hippo wondered, listening to Rina's reasoning.

"Why don't we look in to those pictures again that you took, Hippo. We can narrow down the list and write down names of surfers or tandem couples with _and children_ underneath them. Like for example, we already got the two famous tandem couples--- Tack and Tish Seahart and Children, then Gen and Kim Doe and Children. I mean, we also noticed in those pics that Cole Seahart's name is not even in the official list, right? It's obvious that she's one of the _and children _people underneath Tack and Tish Seahart's name, right? What if it applies the same to the Doumoto Twins?"

"Hm... you got a point there!" Hippo pointed his finger, confirming Rina's hypothesis. "Good thing I brought my laptop here..." He patted his trusty backpack. "We can check it out later after we're done with the archives section..."

Right then they hear the door open from behind the archives and records doors and the diminutive bespectacled girl with her usual long braids and bangs down appeared right at the booth. Misao Koshiki fixed her eyeglasses when she spotted the Nanamis and Rina at the waiting lobby.

"Ah... Nanami number one and number two... and Miss Rina Touin too?" The slightly stern-looking girl gazed at the three with the suspicious stare right at them. "Sorry I'm late. I was helping out the staff in there organize some newly-acquired records there."

Hippo stood up and approached Misao with his list. "Well, here's the list like I mentioned at our phone call last time."

Misao turned on her desktop system as she took the list from Hippo. She fixed her glasses again and read the names carefully. She looked up towards Hippo and asked: "Strange names you got here. I doubt you'd find any info about these... people... in here."

"Oh, I'm sure there's something in there, Koshiki," Hippo answered. "I'm pretty sure the names below would be recorded and archived too since these two couples here died in a major tragedy at the beaches in a tandem surfing competition seven years ago. They're important because our family may be involved with these people and our own family wouldn't even want to talk about these people."

Misao's system booted right then and she began to open her in-house database, typing in the names to see if there may be some information regarding the names Hippo provided. After moments of waiting for the results, the bookish-looking girl stared right at Hippo. "Well, there is something about the Seahart Couple and the Doe Couple, but I don't know about these other weird names you came up."

"Awesome!" Hippo cheered happily. "So, can you tell us what records you guys have about them?"

Misao gave a slight frown and checked the time. "Well, I'm afraid I can't really help you with that, so I'm giving you this pass to gain access to the floor and find those records yourself. I have another appointment in about ten minutes."

"Eh?" Hippo gasped curiously. "Come on, Koshiki, you gotta guide us through the archives floor, girl! I don't particularly like hanging out in the library because I get easily lost in between shelves. I mean can those people who are coming later wait until we're done?"

"I'm sorry, Nanami, but I made a vow to these people I'd help them. I can't help it. I'm the only one available in this floor today so I'm pretty much booked..."

"Wow... I guess the people after us are as aggressive as Hippo is here," Lucia chuckled softly while Hippo immediately glared at his sister."

"Hey Lucia, which side are you on?" Hippo frowned with his arms closed and turned back to Misao. "Just who are these people after us anyway? Won't they realize that the youth of today are always priority? What's up with that?"

Misao simply shook her head. "Kid, the people after you are part of our generation too. Besides... I made lunch for one of the people too!"

Hippo raised an eyebrow, still not happy with what he was hearing. "What the heck--- why make lunch to that stubborn, impatient jerk when you've got more serious customers you need to help out, man?"

Lucia chuckled softly, knowing about Misao Koshiki's not-too-known romantic relationship with the young and handsome Rainbowside surf tribe surfing instructor named Subaru Shibatani, but tried to keep herself calm about the situation. "Oh, Hippo, I'm sure this person after us must be a very special person to Misao... I mean, normally girls would make homemade lunch for the guys they're secretly in love with, you know?"

"Hey," Rina chuckled and joined in the conversation. "Lucia, don't you think it's time for you to make lunch for that certain boy you've been crushing on since childhood?"

Lucia lowered her head in embarrassment and blushed. "But... I can't... he's too busy... and... plus there's way more other girls who'd probably are better cooks than I am..."

"Oh come on, Lucia! You're one of the powerful cooks of Pearl Waters when you work! You and Maki and Mrs. Nanami are like the true trio of the Pearl Waters Kitchen!" Rina continued to chuckle while Misao gave a slight smile for the worrying blonde girl.

"It's wonderful to be in love, isn't it?" Misao softly giggled and began to think about her dashing surfer dude boyfriend Subaru in her mind. "You know I never thought I would ever fall in love with a boy who also feels the same about me at this young age. I vowed myself to meet a boy who is simple, kind, prim and proper, intelligent, and you know... just your wholesome perfect boy. But my boyfriend--- he's all of those qualities except he's got that really cool aura around him that makes him stand out, you know?"

Hippo crossed his arms while giving a very irritated look at the girls. "Hey yo! This is the library, not the gossip corner! Can we get this problem fixed? How about we start searching for these names at the floor now, Koshiki? To hell with those impatient jerks after us--- this is seriously very important to us!"

Misao sighed and stood up from her seat. "Alright, alright. Let's get this started. Come on in---"

Just as she was going to lead the three through the doors, those _impatient jerks _Hippo complained about arrived at the waiting lobby. Once they heard the doors open, both the Nanami Siblings shrieked in shock when they learned that Misao's next guests to assist were none other than Kaito Doumoto and her soon-to-be-former all-boys prep school surfer boyfriend Subaru Shibatani. When they arrived it seemed as if they were short of breath and were heaving heavily to catch up.

"You!" Kaito exclaimed with eyes open wide with suspicion on his expression.

"Oh hell no..." Hippo murmured his own response while Lucia gave a huge happy smile and Rina showing a slight smirk on her face.

"What the--- Kaito Doumoto and Subaru Shibatani...?" Hippo gasped in shock. "What's up with you dudes being here?"

Kaito also became startled to see the Nanamis and Rina present and right in front of them at the same time. "What are you three doing here? Shouldn't you all be rehearsing with the rest of the OC-5?"

Lucia blushed slightly and felt an overwhelming happiness surrounding her. "Kaito! I didn't expect you guys to be here at the library!"

"Not to mention at the somewhat restricted archives and records floor too," Rina added her statement.

Misao gave a concerned look towards Subaru while the boyfriend shrugged his arms at her. Then the instructor to the competitor and then towards the three OC-5 band members. "Kaito wanted to leave early so the all-girl fan mob doesn't spot him and chase after him from street to street, corner to corner, beach to beach..."

"Yeah right..." Kaito frowned as he sat down on the seats to rest. "On the way here we got encountered by a group of chicks in bikinis making their way to the beach. Sadly they recognized us and started chasing us just like that."

Subaru frowned and took his seat next to Kaito. "Even if I yelled at those girls that I'm already taken they refused to accept the truth."

Misao sighed and walked right to the group. "I wish I was powerful enough to protect you, Subaru. But most of the girls are just plain horrible with me, so..." Right then she slowly took his hand and held it tightly but snug at the same time. Hippo's eyes widened in surprise to see the gesture the strict glasses girl just made.

"Silly," Subaru chuckled softly and released his hand from Misao's grip. Then he placed both arms around Misao's waist and slowly pulled her to him. "Protecting our special treasure is my role. I'll take care of those crazy girls, okay?"

"Subaru... I... I..." Misao gulped nervously while the Nanamis, Rina, and Kaito fell silent with their eyes giving attention to the young couple. She ended up having her hands now on to Subaru's rock hard chest. "Subaru... I was wondering how long you guys are gonna be here...?"

Subaru was not aware that the others present were already witnessing them with different reactions but even if that was the case he had no care in the world. Let everyone stare, he thought. They should be envious because they were in love. "Not long. I have to take Kaito back home and then escort him to Sector 7 Beach after we find what we're looking for in there. Why do you ask?"

Misao sighed and and murmured softly. "It's just that... I made lunch... for you... and I've spent the entire night making it. I... I was hoping if we can spend some time together during lunch because I'm only working half day today..."

Subaru flashed a happy and excited smile and held her tighter to him. "R-really? You made lunch for me?" Misao nodded shyly once more as the surfer boy gently lifted the timid girl's head towards her. "Aw, why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Well... it's just that I miss you... I hardly get to see you anymore because of the surf tribe thing you're doing with other kids and... we even rarely talk on the phone because you can't even get cellphone signals at wherever the heck you were--- probably at that beach or something... and it's been so hard to keep in touch with you lately. I know I sound stupid right now but---" Misao could feel her eyes filling up with tears at that time.

"Aw, I'm sorry, Misao... I didn't mean to ignore you or anything. I'm kinda caught with this upcoming surfing tournament thing coming up. I need to have the surfers condition themselves and practice--- most of all with tandem surfing. That's why I called you last night to set up an appointment with Kaito. He's competing in two events--- the men's individuals and tandem surfing. But let's have lunch together, Misao! I'm all yours today!"

"Subaru!" Misao cheered happily as Subaru cuddled her in to his arms and gently kissed her on the forehead.

"Aww..." Lucia and Rina sighed in awe and delight to see the couple united happily.

Kaito raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms with a rather upsetting expression. "Subaru, whatever the hell happened to you being my bodyguard for the day?"

"Jeez, get a room!" Hippo made his response with a frown on his face.

Subaru lifted his head from Misao and turned to Kaito with a humble smile on his face. "Sorry, Kaito. My girl needs me..."

"Traitor..." Kaito frowned and leaned himself against the wall, glaring at the couple.

Rina looked slightly envious and murmured her own words as she witnessed this very brief romantic moment. "I wish I had a man who'd be as sweet as he is..."

"I wish the guy I'm secretly in love with would be as sweet and kind as he is..." Lucia softly mumbled as she continued to watch Subaru and Misao have their short moment. Kaito heard the mumble and turned his head right at Lucia with a slight suspicion on his face. Lucia noticed his reaction at her and slightly frowned. "What?"

"Do you mind not daydream in here, Lucia?" Kaito crossed his arms with a slight glare towards her.

"What's it to you, Kaito?" Lucia retorted immediately. "A girl has a right to daydream about the boy she's deeply in love with!"

"Still! I don't care—- daydream somewhere else when I'm not around!"

Lucia tightened her fist and stood up from her seat, staring furiously at the surfer boy next to her. "What the heck is that about? You always talk and daydream about girls with your dudes especially if you're daydreaming of--- indecent things--- with them--- bunch of perverts you people are--- and you're telling me I can't daydream about the boy I'm in love with?"

"He's jealous, Lucia, that's why he's not happy with you daydreaming!" Right then Rina spoke out with a snicker on her face.

Kaito glared right at the tomboy and retorted. "Yo! What makes you think I'm jealous?"

"Simple reason, Kaito," Rina began her explanation. "Lucia made a small mention of the boy she's secretly in love with... and you react all annoyed and you tell her to not daydream about the boy she's in love with. We all know you, Kaito. You just _loved _to be talked about by any girl who may be in love with you and here you meet a nice, sweet girl like Lucia who _isn't _talking about you. You aren't the only dude around here girls dream about, you know... Why isn't the disciplinary committee president Misao Koshiki daydream about you? Even when she's dating Subaru Shibatani now she still hates your guts. Lucia has a right to fall in love with whatever boy she ends up falling in love with and when she makes a small mention, it bothers you. Conclusion? You're jealous."

Lucia gasped and turned to Kaito with worry. "Kaito, really? Does it bother you so much? But you talked to me about the girl you're in love with back at the beach last week. It didn't bother me because I know you deserve to be happy... but I deserve to be happy too with someone I love!" To Lucia, little did Kaito know that he was the boy she was talking about. At the moment Kaito was not in the sweet and gentle mode as Subaru is with Misao at that moment.

"Okay--- that's it!" From out of the blue Hippo stood up from his seat looking very impatient. "I wanna get my access to the archives and records floor so I can make my research on these names! Koshiki, hurry it up and get us in there!"

Subaru and Misao released from each other and right then, Misao's cheerfully innocent girl in love face mask completely changed in to her usual stern and serious expression. "Right. Step this way."

Misao lead everyone at the waiting room through the electronic security-locked doors. As they got inside Kaito asked Lucia the same question earlier today. "So, what are you, Touin, and your brother doing in here anyway?"

Lucia answered briefly: "Well, we're doing some research on a part of our family history and---"

"It's confidential, Doumoto!" Right then Hippo placed his hand on Lucia's mouth to keep her from continuing. "This is very personal within the family..."

"Personal--- really? If it's very personal then why is Touin with you then?" Kaito continued on with the questions.

"We need a trusted witness on this one and Rina Touin is that trusted witness!" Hippo responded promptly.

Rina shrugged her arms and said "Actually they just dragged me along since Rihito and Taro are on their composer mode right now so the three of us don't really have anything to do..."

"Well... what about you, Kaito?" Lucia removed Hippo's hand from her mouth so she can speak. "I never thought you'd be here at the most random times ever..."

Kaito was startled at the curious question and returned the stern look. "My mission? It's confidential! I'm searching for a certain someone I need to interact with---"

Just as Kaito was about to continue, Subaru joined in the conversation. "He is searching for his _dream girl _to be his tandem surfing partner---"

Hippo gasped in shock and literally amped up his volume. "YOU HAVEN'T FOUND YOUR TANDEM SURFING PARTNER YET?!" Immediately Misao, Lucia, Rina, and Subaru hushed Hippo down, knowing that they were still in the library. Hippo softened his voice down and continued: "You've only got less than two months to train and you still haven't found a partner?"

"Hey! I got personal standards with surfing in general, dude!" Kaito returned the response as Misao hushed him right then.

Misao lead them to a table of computers where they would use special database programs to search through the archives and records about their town and its people. They sat down where a computer was available and began to do their searches. Rina answered to Kaito's previous statement.

"You know, kinda weird for you to look for a tandem surfing partner in the library, Kaito. Whatever happened to _checkin' out chicks _at the beach?"

Kaito gazed at Rina with curiosity and suspicion. "You're too prejudiced, Touin. No, not all of us surfer dudes _check out chicks _at the beach. Besides, the chicks I always see at the beach have always been the same chicks I saw from yesterday and the day before and so on and so forth anyway."

"So now you're gonna check out chicks at the library, Kaito?" Rina could not help herself but to laugh at this statement while Kaito continued to glare at the tomboy beauty. "Dang, you really are a player, dude!"

"Whatever..." Kaito frowned and turned back to the system to do his search. There was only one name he needed to search for and prayed he would get results.

_I'm going to find you, Leolani. I'm not going to let you go just like that. We've still got so many things to talk about and things we need to fulfill together..._

Meanwhile at Pearl Waters, Rihito and Taro were at the piano with Taro being on the guitar and Rihito at the piano with empty music sheets they needed to write their compositions on. They just listened to some sample sound bites of the tracks their competitors will be playing for the surf bands contest thanks to Taro's _innocent _spying on the other bands and recording their samples on his recording MP3 player. After hearing and analyzing them together they knew they would have to come up with newer, fresher, and something better-sounding than what they have heard. Thus today was somewhat of a day off for the OC-5 band so the two professional composers can sit down and compose new songs for the contest.

Maki entered the rehearsal room with a box filled with musical score sheets. The two composers asked him to lock the door behind him when he entered, which he did as asked. When he approached them he placed the box next to the piano.

"Well, this is all I can find. All the other boxes in the attic were all duct taped and I can't open them without getting in trouble by the boss." Maki opened the box carefully, revealing old musical scores written and composed by hand.

Taro reached for the paperwork and took out a stack of dust-collected music notebooks. The three men blew out the dust as they looked through each of the notebooks with composition scores written in pencil. Rihito found a particular music notebook with the following information written in pencil at the front.

_I'LL BE YOURS MY LOVE  
In Dedication:  
The 9th Wedding Anniversary of Genji and Kimiko Doumoto_

_Lyrics by Takerou & Chisa Nanami_

_Composition by Taro Mitsuki  
Date Completion: 20xx/8/20_

"Hey!" Rihito exclaimed in surprise and gazed right up at Taro. "Hey Taro--- look at what I've found!"

Taro took the notebook and read the title at the front cover and smiled lightly. "Yeah. My first composition. It was also gonna be my entry to the Southern National Conservatory of the Arts when I was applying for a spot in that school. I was preparing everything early for the admission requirements then. It was also going to be our present for the Doumotos' ninth wedding anniversary, but... well... never happened."

"Yeah..." Rihito sighed sadly and lowered his head. "You completed the song on the twentieth... then nine days later at the actual anniversary date... well..."

Maki sighed along with them. "God Bless those couples... may the gods of the seas take care of their spirits, wherever they are..."

"So how come you never used this as your entry? You could still have used this instead of writing another one for your entry then, Taro..."

"I know, Rihito," Taro answered, still smiling. "But there's a lot of reasons other than the usual as to why I didn't use that for my admission entry. You see, I wrote all of that on the cover... and I lied."

"Lied?" Rihito and Maki exclaimed in curiosity.

"Well, I did write the composition and I did complete it on that date, as well as I named the composition as written. It's the purpose and the part about the lyrics were lies."

Maki blinked in curiosity. "What do you mean by that? You lied about the purpose and who wrote the lyrics?"

"You all know that times were different then, especially in small-town settings such as our town. Originally, the song wasn't written for the Doumotos' wedding anniversary. It was a dedication from a particular seven-year-old kid to another seven-year-old kid. Back then it's not exactly normal for Nijibe society to see two underage kids to have crushes on one another and none of us are sure on how the parents were gonna take it so I decided to lie about it and wrote this instead of the real thing."

Rihito and Maki nodded, remembering the society restrictions back then in regards to the townspeople of Nijibe. Under-teen aged kids were not allowed to have crushes or fall in love with other kids their ages until they reached their teens. There were various reasons why this was not allowed then, but at this present, things did change and now under-teen aged kids falling in love with each other became a norm.

"So, who's this seven-year-old kid we're talking about, Taro?" Rihito asked curiously.

"Well... you won't believe it if I told you," Taro responded. Right at that point the three men gathered around as if it was storytime around the campfire.

*********

_I was around sixteen then. I actually wanted to participate at the summer music program at the Southern National Conservatory of the Arts because I knew I would have major chances on getting in to that specialized university once I reached nineteen and completed high school. Because Nijibe was closer by distance to the school than from my old inland town I decided to spend more time with the relative here in Nijibe and find my inspiration in to composing my own first piece as my admissions entry in to that program. I was able to come up with a tune but the program also required a piece of music with wordings on them. The tune I came up with was pretty much classical and it is a piano piece, but the only way for me to make this piece of music work with lyrics is somewhat turn the piece in to something more... pop... so it would be appealing to all ages, not just those who are in to classical music. I was completely stumped with the lyrics part because poetry was not really my forte._

_One summer weekday I was right here at the rehearsal room, locking myself up, and concentrate on writing down the lyrics. Sara Iria and I just started dating at that time and because of this summer program I was seldom at the beach and hang around with the Rainbowside while watching and cheering on for Cole Seahart's surf training at the ocean. But that particular weekday, Sara came for a visit with two boys with her. She did babysitting jobs over those boys every summer so that's why she was always with those boys. I remember how she and I became interested at each other. We were both fond of taking care of kids. When we first met long ago, she was with those two boys and I was with my three younger cousins._

_When Sara arrived, it was my uncle and aunt who invited her and the boys in the rehearsal room. They explained to her why I was locking myself up in here and she decided to help. When she came I wondered why she brought the boys with her. She then explained to me that one of the boys was somewhat of a poet._

"_What are your names?" I asked the boys._

_The boys--- two fraternal twin brothers, but they still look alike to me anyway--- stepped up from Sara and introduced themselves formally to me. I always thought kids that age were bratty and snot-nosed, but not these two boys. They were really polite and quite kind, though I noticed that the older twin kept on clinging on to Sara's arm like he was shy and needed protection or something. On the other hand just talking with those two twins felt as if they knew how to talk to people and I felt rather pleased with it._

"_People call us Kainehe and Kaikane Doe." The older twin answered. "I'm Kainehe Doe."_

"_I'm Kaikane Doe." The younger twin replied along with the older twin._

"_Exotic names--- nice!" I said to them, just laughing softly because I was a little nervous. "So, Sara--- I mean Sunshine--- said that you two are going to help me?"_

_The older twin, Kainehe, pointed his finger towards his twin brother. "Just him. He's the poet and the singer."_

"_Hey! You're supposed to stick with me!" The younger twin, Kaikane, reacted nervously._

"_Well, either way works," I just laughed along while Sara joined in the laughter too. While we were trying to be comfortable with each other I realized something then about those two boys..._

Maki answered, interrupting Taro's small memoir at that time. "Kainehe and Kaikane Doe... never have I thought I would hear those names again. They were Gen and Kim Doe's boys, weren't they?"

Rihito chuckled and nodded in agreement. "Man... those were the good times, Taro..."

Taro continued on with his memoir as Rihito and Maki listened along.

_Kainehe was not kidding when he said that his younger twin, Kaikane, was indeed the poet and singer. I played what I completed on the piano and let Kaikane listen to it. For such a young age he sure had a good ear with music and he was pretty critical with it. As you know their parents were classical music composers themselves as their full-time jobs while surfing and living the beach life was just their other life outside the professional world, so I was sure that both the twins--- or at least one of them--- were also taught and be more familiar with the ins and outs of musical compositions, so I was expecting Kaikane to be critical about any type of music. Though he was critical, he did like my rough draft of the piece altogether._

"_May I try something?" Kaikane asked me in a calm tone. I scooted my seat to the side so the kid can sit down right next to me._

"_Sure thing. The piano is open to everyone!" I said to him. For a sixteen-year-old teen like me then I was kind of nervous around a prodigy-minded kid like Kaikane Doe, but he made me feel comfortable as if he didn't want me to feel intimidated by him._

_He played a small, short piece that was something I never thought of. It was a pretty nice complimentary introduction to the rest of my composition and he wrote the entire piece on a fresh empty page of my notebook so I won't forget. He turned to me with a smile and he said: "You're gonna be a really great composer one day, Mister Mizuki!"_

"_Thanks," I said to him humbly. "I can say the same with you."_

"_I hope so. I want to carry on my parents' legacy as musicians one day. Me and Kainehe together, but I think Kainehe prefers the other hobby we're in to."_

"_Oh? Other hobby?"_

"_Yup. My parents' other hobby too--- surfing."_

"_Surfing? You and your brother know how to surf?"_

_Kaikane nodded shyly. "Well, we're not very good at it. We're still learning, even if everyone else says we're almost at pro level. I mean, no one's going to believe us being professional surfers at this age, you know? We have to be like thirteen or something for us to be considered professional."_

_We proceeded in to continuing to make improvements on the music when an unexpected guest arrived at the rehearsal room. Just her voice alone already changed the entire atmosphere. When I saw her I gave her the usual wave but with Sara and the twin brothers they reacted as if the goddess of the heavens just stepped in to our door._

"_Wow... it's Cole Seahart..." I heard Sara and the twins mumble in awe as their eyes were completely fixated towards her when she stepped in._

"_Hiya! Whatcha doin'?" The slightly timid-looking teen girl asked me as she invited herself in and stood next to the piano. "I heard really nice music playing from here so I thought I'd stop by."_

"_No way--- Cole Seahart in the flesh..." I heard the twin boys continue to mumble their awe towards Nijibe's coolest surfer girl. Just hearing those words really made me feel proud. She introduced herself to the rest of the kids including Sara and since there was nothing much to do that day she decided to stick around._

"So, Cole Seahart was another witness to this song?" Maki asked curiously. "Interesting..."

"Yeah," Taro chuckled as he opened the old notebook. Inside the front cover he saw another pencil writing at the corner. Though the handwriting was quite childish-looking it was still legible enough to read.

_Yo Sea-Moon! Thanks for writing this song with me. I hope I'll be ready to sing this song to that special girl once we finally meet. Also, it was really fun writing this song with you because Cole Seahart was with us along with Sunshine and my other half. I think you're going to be a great musician, like my mom and dad, one day. I'll be rooting for you when that time comes!_

_Rainbowside till infinity! - K.D._

Taro decided to keep that small note to himself and not show it to Rihito and Maki. "Well then, let's play this on the piano so you guys can hear it." He placed his guitar on the stand as Rihito stood up from the piano seat for Taro to take over. He placed the notebook on to the stand of the piano and flipped the first page and then began to play the completed composition. Along with the composition were lyrics to the song. Rihito and Maki stood over Taro, watching him play, and with the lyrics, Rihito began to sing the lyrics.

_I'll be yours, my love_

_We'll stay together forever_

_I'll be yours, my love_

_And it will be like heaven_

_I'll just stay in your arms_

_To feel your charms around me_

_Forever_

After the first part was played Maki asked another question regarding the history of the song. "So, are you telling me that your aunt and uncle didn't write those lyrics, but that kid did?"

Taro nodded to confirm. "Yup. Kaikane Doe's name should be in there but the poor kid was too shy to reveal his name behind those lyrics, so he asked me to lie about it. He had a secret crush on some girl his age but he never learned her name. Ever since then I haven't heard from him until about three years later. He completely changed a lot and... I don't know... his polite and gentle self sorta faded away."

Rihito frowned slightly with a nod, knowing what Taro meant with the latter. "He gave up what he used to love when he was a kid. Now he's some hotshot surfer dude who could care less except winning and having things his way. Yeah, I know who you're talking about, Taro. You didn't need to use his _surf nick _to hide his real identity."

"And this little girl he had a secret crush on... did you ever learn her name?" Maki asked once more.

Taro shook his head once more. "I've never heard of that story ever again. He completely changed and the next time I saw him again he was having multiple dates with different girls almost every day. It gave me the idea that he no longer was interested in that girl he dedicated this song to. I wanted to talk to him about this song again but decided not to because he was way too carefree to even get in to the sentimental stuff like this song."

"Man, Cole Seahart," Rihito chuckled softly, thinking about the story Taro just told them regarding the song they found in the box. "You guys notice something? These past few weeks, it seems that everything in the past that we've been buzzing about all had Cole Seahart's name in it. Regarding that Kaikane kid, was it Cole Seahart whom he had a crush on?"

Taro shook his head. "Well, this kid and his twin were huge Cole Seahart fans. In fact, most of the Rainbowside would just halt at everything they were doing then once Cole Seahart walked in and made her unexpected appearance. Of course, Cole herself never realized how much she was looked up by everyone. The underage kids loved her, like she was their role model or something. But Kaikane, he did tell me a bit about this girl he had a crush on. He said something like... '_If it weren't for Cole Seahart, I would have never saw her.'_"

"The girl he was in love with was a Cole Seahart fan too!" Rihito chuckled.

"Might as well be that way, Rihito."

"So, are you gonna play more of the song?" Maki asked curiously. "I'd like to hear the entire song."

"Me too," Rihito nodded. "Maybe we can squeeze in this song for our lineup for the surf bands contest. Though it's a ballad, there's nothing mentioned in the rules that you can't have love ballads in your lineup, as long as you've got surf tunes in there."

"Alright, alright," Taro laughed and turned to the piano again. He began to play the entire song from the beginning and continued from where they halted.

At that time, Nicola was carrying a basket filled with laundry when she overheard the music. Right then something clicked in her and found herself smiling. She placed the basket down and tiptoed right at the slightly open door of the rehearsal room and listened to the music being played on the piano.

_Hey, I remember this song... sweetest song I've heard back then. That poor boy... hopelessly in love with a girl he's never met personally and not even knowing her name. I wonder who that girl was..._

As the song continued Nicola could not help herself and opened the door. She entered, inviting herself in the rehearsal room. Once she made her presence, everything that was happening in the room suddenly halted in fear and nervousness.

"Uh... Nicola! Sorry about this!" Maki immediately answered. "I just accidentally found this box and this music notebook happened to be in it---"

Nicola chuckled and shook her head. "No, Maki, don't apologize. You got nothing to apologize for. I'm actually glad that you found that box... and that song too."

"Oh, you know this song, Boss?" Rihito asked curiously. Nicola nodded.

"Very familiar with it. That kid who wrote the lyrics was just hopelessly in love with whoever that girl was. I wonder what happened to him and the girl he was pursuing back then?"

Taro closed the notebook and turned to Nicola with a rather shy smile. "Sorry about all this, Nicola. It's just that... well... you know..."

"Keep playing it, Taro! I wanna hear it. Somehow it just makes me feel happy listening to it."

"Are you sure, Nicola?"

Nicola walked next to the piano and rested her chin against her crossed arms, making herself comfortable against the piano. "I used to listen to you play like this, Taro. You always make my day whenever you play--- happy... sad... in between... it just makes me smile. It still does, you know?"

Taro chuckled nervously and began to play the song again from the top. Rihito and Maki turned to each other rather looking nervous at the same time. Rihito whispered to Maki with his concern: "Hey... is this the Boss talking here...?"

Maki shrugged and whispered in return. "Something good must have come on to her today. I'm not really sure that is, but you know... just looking at her now... I kinda miss seeing that cheerful smile on her face."

Rihito slightly nodded and began to gaze his eyes towards his boss. He realized that he and Nicola were pretty much the same age and began to wonder if Nicola ever dated in her past young life or even today. It was not as if he was interested in her or anything but rather the mysterious aura around Nicola Nanami began to interest him, somewhat. He then gazed at Maki, whom he felt he was more of a guardian than just another employee. He gazed back at Nicola again, and right on a certain angle from where she was standing next to the piano something struck him.

_Is it just me or at a certain angle that the Boss looked a lot like Cole Seahart...?_

After the composition of _I'll Be Yours My Love_ was played, Nicola made her comment. "You know, Taro? I kinda miss that kid. That kid had a lot of potential. It was like... all the good times just disappeared... and nice boys like him are very rare now. Every time I think of Lucia I worry she may end up getting her heart broken by a boy she may be in love with. She's a bit naïve with romance, thinking that some princely-like guy would come to her and sweep her off her feet..."

"I'm sure there's a nice boy out there for Lucia... just not right now, you know? But he's out there..." Taro said with confidence within him.

Nicola sat on the empty space next to her cousin and sighed. "The first time I met that kid--- Kaikane Doe--- for some reason I kinda wanted him to be the one little Lucia would be with. He's a really good kid... really mature too. Sometimes I giggle whenever Lucia would talk about him... how she wanted to meet him and speak to him one day but you know... she only sees him whenever we have surf practice gatherings and was too shy to even introduce herself to the Doe Boys. Lucia doesn't remember now, but she always loved looking at the Doe Twins, most especially Kaikane. She loved it whenever he sings from out of the blue like that and it's just so adorable to witness!"

Maki chuckled and answered. "You even notice all those things with your sister, Nicola?"

"Of course, Maki!" Nicola chuckled and gave a huge grin. "I always keep an eye on my little siblings, especially Lucia. It's just too darn adorable, especially the times where I used to tuck in to her bed at night. She would always say to me that she would want to marry Kaikane one day--- though it's too bad she never learned his name." After a short moment of pause she sighed sadly and lowered her head. "Where have all the good kids gone? Now most of the teen dudes I see around town are either a bunch of heartbreaking players or immature jerks who only cared more about themselves than anything else."

Rihito almost choked and cleared his throat. "Kaikane Doe? Oh I won't exactly say he's gone... He's very much still around, except he's not exactly... you know... here..."

"Hm...?" Nicola raised an eyebrow of suspicion. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

Taro chuckled nervously and remained grinning. "Oh, Rihito's just saying that those kids are still here--- except they're no longer kids--- they're pretty much sorta grown up now--- and you know... different!"

"You know... I wonder if the Doe Twins ever knew or heard of Lucia, since they're pretty familiar with us, you know?"

Before anyone could respond to Nicola's statement they were interrupted by a familiar ringtone that was leading towards Rihito's pocket. Rihito stood up and reached for his cellphone in his pocket. "I'll be back really quick." He exited the rehearsal room and closed it so he can talk to whoever he was speaking to on the phone.

With Rihito gone the atmosphere around Taro and Maki immediately changed and gave serious expressions towards Nicola. The boss became curious about their facial expressions to her.

"What?" Nicola asked curiously.

Maki sighed deeply and looked down while Taro answered right then. "How long are you gonna keep playing this game, Nicola? I'm just sick and tired playing along with you for the past seven years!"

Nicola gave a slight frown to her concerned cousin. "Just... just a little longer... I need time..."

"How much time, Nicola?" Maki asked curiously. "Kid, I vowed to help you with anything you need help on, but I just don't feel comfortable deceiving your younger siblings regarding what happened seven years ago. Long ago you used to be more understanding even if you don't like the upcoming results. Now you're just being stubborn and selfish."

"Stubborn and selfish? Maki!" Nicola gasped in shock. "What's wrong with being liked and respected by all the people I love?"

"Nicola, be reasonable, please." Taro became more concerned about his younger cousin than ever. "You can't live your entire life pretending that nothing happened and be okay with it. These past few weeks you've been complaining to me that you've been getting dreams about that incident again. It's been bothering you, you said. But if you don't do anything about it you'll always get those nightmares for the rest of your life until it's too late. Everyone in town is already aware that the _Dainami-Oni _will be returning this coming month, and worse yet, during the tournament. If you continue to keep your mouth shut to everyone, most especially to Lucia and Hippo, there is a huge chance that the same tragedy will happen again, and not just another tragedy, it may claim more lives than how much they claimed seven years ago."

"But Taro---" Just as Nicola was about to make her statement, Maki interrupted her with another statement from him.

"Nicola... I know this is a rather unrelated question but... has this got to do with my brother?"

Nicola and Taro froze right when they heard Maki's rather random question. _Tasuki_... Nicola sighed deeply and gazed her head below. Taro turned his eyes toward Maki and asked: "Your brother... T-Mack?"

"The one and only, Taro," Maki confirmed promptly.

Nicola sighed and shook her head. "Maki, I've gotten over Tasuki seven years ago. What a complete jerk..."

"He designed the GG I and the GG II, Nicola. Don't forget that." Maki reminded the young manager.

"He never saw me for who I was. He always looked at me as some annoying brat who thinks she's some kind of a Rainbowside kook. I thought he liked me, Maki... turned out all along that I was just one of the girls in his list he loved to toy with for pleasure. And back then seven years ago, every decent dude were all taken--- even the really bad-mannered girls were able to win their hearts too. What the hell did I get back then?" Nicola attempted to hold back her tears, not wanting to continue.

Taro stood up and placed his arm around his cousin. "Don't say stuff like that. Everyone loved you! Maki and I loved you then and we still do now! Aunt Taki, your staff, and most especially Lucia and Hippo--- we all loved you and we still do. Why on earth would you let some jerk put you down like that? Just because some dude lead you on to thinking he wanted to be with you, doesn't mean everyone else would look at you the same."

"You don't get it, Sea-Moon!" Right at that moment Nicola blurted out a particular _surf nick _which she had not used for the past seven years. It was also the same surf nick that both Taro and Maki had not heard of for the past seven years. Just with that, Taro found the chill completely running down his spine just by hearing that honorary _surf nick _he earned from his late uncle for the Rainbowside.

"Wow... you've never called me by that name for the last seven years, Nicola," Taro answered in a slight faint voice.

"Sea-Moon... I had the biggest crush on T-Mack back then. I... I loved all his cool maneuvers and the way he controlled the surf when he road his board. I was determined to be good at surfing. I didn't just want to be good just for the sake of Mom and Dad's role at the Rainbowside. I wanted everyone to like me for me and not say that I'm only surfing just because it was the coolest thing in town and because of my parents. I wanted to get T-Mack's attention... it's bad enough I can't even get my parents' attention whenever they hang out with the rest of the Rainbowside. I even wished we could be tandem surfers together..." Right then, Nicola trailed from what she mumbled, which gave both Taro and Maki.

Maki stood up and patted Nicola on the shoulder. "That is why I was being a pest to you when you were young, girl. I didn't want you getting involved with Tasuki--- T-Mack. He may be my brother, he may be a top-notch surfer, and he may be a true expert in shaping boards which was why he quit surfing to get in to the board shaping business with a few of our old pals, but when it comes to girls he was really lousy. I know sometimes we all gotta learn things the hard way, Nicola, and it's unfortunate you had to learn it the hard way instead of listening to good ol' Hi-Mack. But I don't hate you for making that mistake."

"Hi-Mack... thanks..." Nicola gave a light smile on her face. "Say... I want to take the day off today. Would you and Sea-Moon manage Pearl Waters for me while I'm out?"

"Where are you going, Nicola?" Taro asked curiously.

"I... I just need to take a walk... or drive... or whatever... that's all."

Maki agreed with a nod. "Don't be out too long. We'll take care of things from here."

"Thanks, guys." Right at that time, Nicola exited the rehearsal room. Taro and Maki turned to each other looking rather confused at what had just happened.

"What's her thing with T-Mack got to do with her reasoning of not telling Lucia and Hippo the entire story about what happened seven years ago, Hi-Mack?" Taro asked curiously with his arms shrugged.

"I have no idea..." Maki gave a slight shrug. "It just came out of my mouth... but I think she's got a bit of a low self-esteem."

"How's that?"

"Well... she wanted compassion and love from the people she was close with. She didn't just want attention from the public. Maybe that was her motivation to push herself harder and become one of the best surfers around. Maybe something happened when she was younger... you know... when her parents were still alive, you know?"

Just as Taro was about to continue with the conversation, Rihito entered the rehearsal room a few moments later with a cellphone in his hand. The two found Rihito approaching them with a concerned look on his face. "Hey, I saw the Boss heading out somewhere. Where's she going?"

"Out." Taro and Maki responded simultaneously.

"Hm. Something happened with you guys?" Rihito asked curiously.

"Ah, well then!" Maki chuckled nervously as he headed to the door. "I promised Nicola to manage the dining area while she's gone so I might as well get going! You boys still need to do your composing. Later!" Quickly Maki exited the rehearsal room, leaving Taro and Rihito alone in the room.

"Well then, let's get back to work, Rihito," Taro said and reached for his guitar.

"Tell me something and tell me honestly, Taro." Rihito suddenly changed the tone of his voice at him.

"What about?" Taro asked curiously.

"The Boss... she's Cole Seahart, isn't she?"

Taro raised an eyebrow and stared at Rihito. "What makes you think Nicola Nanami is Cole Seahart?"

"I was a _grommet _nine years ago when I first saw Cole Seahart surf at Sector 7 Beach. First time I began hanging out with the Rainbowside too. I gotta admit I had a slight childhood crush on her."

"You were in love with her, Rihito?"

Rihito chuckled and snickered. "You think too much, Sea-Moon. Not in that sense... it's more of like... I wanted to be like her once I became seasoned. She was an inspiration to me and pretty much the entire Rainbowside, you know."

"Okay, what's that got to do with Nicola, Rihito?"

"Taro, she's the reason why I began working here at Pearl Waters for free. Never mind that my family was really loaded, but... I as a fellow Rainbowside surfer always wanted to hang out with her... get to know her... share some of her secret skills with me, you know?"

"Right." Taro snickered and turned to his guitar, tuning the strings. "Are you sure you're not in love with her?"

"You hope too much, Sea-Moon." Rihito snickered as he responded.

"Whatever you say, Rite-O." Since the return of the _surf nicks _emerged at that moment, Taro ended up calling his fellow band member by his old surf nick. Rihito proceeded in seating at the piano while Taro continued to tune the strings of his guitar. Taro reached for a small cooler not too far and brought two ice cold water bottles. He placed one on top of the piano while he handed the other to Rihito.

"By the way, Sea-Moon..." Rihito broke the silence while he was organizing the music sheets. "That was Kainehe Doe on the phone."

Taro's eyes opened wide and became intrigued with Rihito's statement. "Yeah? What's going on?"

"You know how Hippo, Lucia, and Rina were heading in town to go to the library to look up for something important? Whatever that was..."

"What about it?"

"Looks like the _kahuna _with the aid of the instructor also went to the library to look up for something important... and something else."

Taro gave a rather confused expression wondering what Rihito was trying to hint. "What's that _something else _you're talking about?"

"He's looking for his tandem surfing partner. Go figure."

"He's--- _what?_"

"Yeah! He's looking up through the restricted archives and records to look up for a certain name. Who would have thought he'd be that devoted!"

Taro began scratching his head, trying to make sense with what Rihito just mentioned. "So... the young _kahuna _along with the young _instructor _went to the library to look up the archives and records to look for tandem surfing partner? That's gotta be one of the strangest methods I've ever heard of just to look for a tandem surfing partner..."

"Well, only reason why he's hitting the archives and records section was because he already knows who he wants for his partner. The problem is, he only knows one single name. No last name, no stats, nothing!"

"Must be the girl of his dreams, Rihito. Man, that kid's growing up fast... I kinda miss the seven-year-old version..." Taro shook his head and rested himself against the side of the piano. "So Rihito... did he tell you the name?"

Rihito nodded. "The name is as exotic as the kid's name. I guess Hawaiian names were an in thing back then!"

"Heh, you forget that the sport of surfing was born in Hawaii, so a lot of the general surfing terms amongst surfer to surfer are based on the Hawaiian language. _Kahuna _and _Wahine_, for example, as well as the mighty _kai_!"

Rihito quickly wrote the _kanji _character for _sea_ on a clean sheet of music notebook paper after recognizing that particular vocabulary word. "Like this _kai_?"

"Yup!" Taro nodded. "It's the same in Hawaiian. The meaning of _kai _from both Japanese and Hawaiian is the same. They both mean _sea _or _ocean_."

"Wait... Kaito writes his first name using this _kanji_. I think Gaito also writes this _kanji _on his name too, not sure. And also the last name _Nanami_--- _seven seas_, like this, right?" Rihito wrote those names on the paper in _kanji_ and showed it to Taro.

"We're all from the mighty _kai_, my friend! Nijibe belongs to the mighty _kai_!"

Rihito softly murmured his own statement: "The Seaharts and the Does are of the mighty _kai_..."

"Exactly! No land creature can ever be the master of the mighty _kai_, dude. It's funny how all the people closest to Pearl Waters and the _Dainami-Oni _tragedy seven years ago. Funny how those same people are completely involved with the upcoming tournament."

"Yeah, seriously. Man, that's just interesting that we've got at least one single word in common... though in Japanese we read it in conjugation with another _kanji_, but still... the mighty _kai_!"

"Good thing I took Hawaiian language back in college so I know a bit," Taro snickered. "Those _surf nicks_ that the Does gave their twin boys when they were born years ago--- Kainehe and Kaikane--- have special meanings too. _Kainehe_, Gaito's surf nick, means _whispering sea_. Kaikane, Kaito's surf nick, means _strong and mighty sea_."

"Good to know that, Taro. Thanks for sharing some of your knowledge. Anyway, I know you're somewhat familiar with the youth of Nijibe though you usually just spend your summers here before. Are you familiar with anybody here who are Hawaiian or have Hawaiian names aside from the twins?"

Taro began to ponder and became silent to concentrate. He unscrewed the cap of his water bottle and began to drink it. Rihito continued on: "The name Kaito was looking for at the archives and records section was something like... _Leilani_... _Luaini..._? No... not that... _Leolani_---"

Right at that moment Taro accidentally spat out his water from his mouth once he heard the name. "What--- say that again?"

"You heard me. Leolani." Taro held his chest to prevent himself from bursting in to laughter while Rihito began to stare at his friend in curiosity. "What?"

"Nothing... um... nothing..."

Rihito crossed his arms, looking more suspicious than ever. "Taro, you're hiding something from me. Who's that Leolani girl anyway? The poor kid's been looking for her for the longest time. I mean all that _one-week girlfriend _thing he did in the past? He did it all because he was looking for that girl. What's so funny about that?"

"It's just that..." Taro took a deep breath and exhaled. "Leolani...? He didn't have to go to the archives and records, although since you mentioned that Kaito's there at the library the same time as the rest of the OC-5 band members... well... Leolani is just right in front of his nose."

Rihito became more intrigued. "Really...? So who is this Leolani girl anyway?"

Taro sat at the empty space next to Rihito on the piano seat and began to tell him the entire story.

********

_Leolani had been asleep for about thirty minutes after the very harsh Dainami-Oni wave attack that lead them to this mysterious candle-lighted cave at an unknown beach. She cried herself to sleep after attempting several times to wake the unconscious boy up. But even if she cried she continued to hold the boy in her arms to keep him warm. There were tears still pouring slowly from her eyes while she slept, clinging on to the boy like a teddy bear._

_Right at that moment, the boy opened his eyes. He gained consciousness miraculously, though the young girl's warmth may have helped him wake up. He turned his head slowly, wondering where he ended up after they were carried by the powerful currents of the Dainami-Oni. At least he knew that he was still alive. He felt gentle warmth surrounding him at that time, realizing that he was indeed alive, safe, and well. He slowly turned his head to his left and found his rescuer holding on to him all this time. He noticed the tears from her eyes and slowly moved his right hand on to her face, slowly wiping the tears from her eyes. The tears were warm but her skin was almost ice cold._

"_You're still crying, Leolani..." The boy murmured his words and gave a slight smile. "Were you afraid of losing me too?"_

_The boy slowly moved closer to her and placed his arms around her so he can return the same warmth she gave him when he was unconscious. When he placed his hand on to her cheek he found something hanging on his wrist. It was a handwoven bracelet with shades of blue and white thread. The boy did not remember wearing this particular piece of handmade jewelry, then he gazed at Leolani again and noticed a few number of different-colored bracelets on one of her wrists. He turned to his again and smiled._

"_Were you the one who gave this to me? If so... thank you. I won't take it off. With this on my wrist I'll always remember you."_

_Once he was only a few inches closer to Leolani's face he continued to examine the girl's facial features. At that time he caressed his fingers on to the girl's cold yet soft skin. While he continued he began to familiarize with the face._

"_I... I know you... Leolani... you're the special girl I've always watched for a long while now. You were always there whenever Cole Seahart was around. I wished you and I met and knew before our parents died. I first saw you when Sea-Moon and Sunshine first met. It's funny because they used us little kids so they can finally meet. But then again... I always wanted to meet you, but I was too scared... until now. I... I even have a song for you that I wanted to sing for you... one day you'll get to hear it, I promise! I don't know why but... I always felt that one day we'll be together... I just wish it was different, not like this... not in exchange for our parents' lives..."_

_The boy felt Leolani moving slowly and then her arms around him became tighter. He blushed red, now they were this close. He wanted to do the same by holding her tight to him. As she slept he continued to talk to her on his ear._

"_You know where we are now? I recognize this place. This is the secret surfing spot of the Rainbowside. I know because you and I have been here many times whenever our families--- and Cole Seahart too--- would come out here just to surf. After you saved me by riding on a surfboard and took us here to safety I knew that you know how to surf too." He lifted his head and placed his chin gently on top of Leolani's head and held her closer to him._

"_Maybe we can surf together one day. Maybe we can be the next Tack and Tish Seahart... or even my parents, Gen and Kim Doe. Want to know how they died? They paddled out to the sea after the evil Dainami-Oni pulled Tack and Tish Seahart down to the sea. They paddled because they wanted to save them. But sadly, the Dainami-Oni was just too powerful for them and they ended up the same way as the Seaharts then. Everyone cried earlier today... I cried so much... my brother cried so much... but most of all, I saw Cole Seahart cried the most... and I saw you... and another kid... in her arms... like this..."_

_The boy closed his eyes, trying to control his emotions and not to cry again. Instead he changed the subject in to a happier note. He continued to whisper on to Leolani's ear as the girl continued to sleep. "People call me Kaikane. Mom and Dad said it means 'strong and mighty sea.' And I know what your name means, Leolani. It means 'beautiful voice'."_

_Just when he whispered he heard the girl murmuring something. Slowly the boy, Kaikane, lowered himself so he could hear what she was murmuring in her sleep._

"_Kai... ka... ne..."_

_The boy hushed her and gently rubbed her back so she can be more comfortable in her sleep. At least then he knew that she heard him when he mumbled his thoughts to her ear. He smiled in content and knew that despite of the tragedy that happened earlier he knew his parents would not want to see him and his brother sad for their loss. He slowly withdrew from her but he still had his arms around her and took another gaze at her face again. At that time he was beginning to feel drowsy and he knew he could not stay awake for that long. He gulped nervously as he found Leolani's lips open, fresh, and in some ways, wanting. He was tempted to kiss her all the way, yet also at the same time he did not want to scare her. On the other hand, he also saw signs coming from the girl that she truly liked him in the same fashion._

_He found a song that appeared in his mind and he began to sing it, just to put Leolani in to deep sleep for the night._

_Hush-a-bye, hush-a-bye_

_Oh my darling, don't you cry_

_Guardian angels up above_

_Take care of the one I love_

_Lullaby and goodnight_

_In your dreams, I'll hold you tight_

_Lullaby and goodnight_

_Till the dawn's early light_

_Pillows lying on your bed_

_Oh my darling, rest your head_

_Sandman will be coming soon_

_Singing you a slumber tune_

"_This will be the last time I'll hear this song, Leolani. At least... I wanted you to hear it. My mom would sing that to me and my brother whenever we go to sleep... But now she's gone... the song will be gone too..."_

_Kaikane yawned afterwards, now the drowsiness was truly getting to him. He finally decided that it was time for him to sleep as well. Since he knew the location itself he knew they were safe and secure._

"_Goodnight, Leolani. Sleep tight." Without even realizing it then he leaned closer to Leolani's lips and gently kissed her goodnight._

_After the slightly lengthy kiss he released himself from her and closed his eyes._

********

"Lucia! Hey! Wake up!"

With an abrupt response Lucia shrieked from out of the blue. She found herself sleeping with her head against the table with her arms to cover her sleepy face after waiting for Hippo to go through the archives and find the information they came for. She sighed in embarrassment when she heard Subaru Shibatani chuckling softly at the scene. Lucia found Rina joining in the chuckling, recognizing that it was the tomboy who woke her up.

"I don't blame you, Lucia," Subaru spoke from across the table of computers. "It does get pretty boring in here because it's so quiet."

"Oh!" Lucia felt her body completely shivering and realized that the entire floor was air conditioned in almost full blast. "No... I... I think I fell asleep because it's cold in here..."

"Well, Misao just lead Hippo at the shelves to look for whatever he was looking for, so they'll be back shortly." Rina reminded Lucia regarding Hippo and Misao not present.

Slowly Lucia lifted her head from the table and rubbed her eyes. "But man... what a dream..."

"Dream?" Rina asked curiously. "I figured as much. You were murmuring some weird stuff and I thought you were speaking a different language or something."

Lucia's eyes opened wide right when she realized what the dream was about. _Oh my god... could it be...? I... I think I remember that boy's name... oh man... I thought it was Kaito... though both names start with "kai"... but still... _While going through her thoughts she looked up across the table and spotted Kaito, who surprisingly was also napping, with his head supported by his elbow on the surface and his fist keeping his head up. _I even remembered now how that boy looked like... and he still looked so much like Kaito... except Kaikane was--- that's right! His name was Kaikane! He was so much nicer than this player... But what am I saying? Kaito's nice too when he wants to be..._

"Speaking of dreaming, you're not the only one who fell asleep and most of all dreaming." Subaru chuckled humbly and tapped the napping Kaito on the shoulder. "Dude... Kaito! Wake up, man!"

"Huh?" With the same abrupt motion Kaito woke up from his brief napping and blinked his eyes, shaking his head. "What the hell... I fell asleep..."

"And you were dreaming too!" Subaru snickered while Rina joined in the laughter. "Sounds sweet and romantic!"

"Hey, I don't dream cheesy love stories, dude!" Kaito quickly yelled at Subaru regarding his teasing. "Only wussy girls do that!"

"Hey!" Lucia shouted right at Kaito. "So now I'm a wuss because I dreamed of some cheesy love story which I think may actually have happened in the past?"

"I didn't mean that, Lucia. I was just making a random statement... but I fell asleep because it's freakin' cold in here!"

"Excuses, excuses." Subaru snickered with his arms crossed. "Well, since there's hardly anyone here and Lucia's brother and Misao are still out looking throughout whatever it was they were looking for, we got some time to talk while we wait."

"Yeah!" Rina cheered with the same smirk on her face. "For example--- _What did you dream about earlier today on your little nap, Lucia?_"

Lucia blushed heavily once she realized that two of the Rainbowside's most handsome surfer boys were just right across the table from them. Rina waited by staring at her best friend with a smirk on her face. "Well... it's... um..." Quickly Lucia turned to Rina and whispered: "I... I can't tell about my dream in front of these guys..."

"Oh come on, Lucia, it's just Kaito and Subaru... and it's only a dream... not like it's for real, you know." Rina whispered her response. "Unless of course if that dream has Kaito in it---"

"Well that's just it... it's about... you know... my mysterious boy from my past... I don't want Kaito knowing too much about it or he's gonna tease me about it---"

Rina chuckled softly and placed her hand on her mouth. "Wow... well... who says you have to reveal the name, huh? And besides, aren't you in love with Kaito anyway? If you tell them without revealing the name, Kaito may get jealous... and you know... that'll tell us how he really feels about you!"

Lucia sighed and lowered her head. "Fine... fine... I'll talk."

Right then, Subaru stood from his seat to look past through the computers and see why Lucia was taking so long to begin. "Hey, you okay?"

"Um... I'm ready to tell you guys about my dream now..." Lucia answered while gulping in nerviness.

"Oh good 'cause Kaito's waiting impatiently here---"

"Man, shut up, Subaru! Why the hell would I be waiting impatiently for some chick's dream?" Kaito glared towards his friend.

"Hey, I'd keep my mouth shut if I were you!" Rina retorted in an intimidating tone. "This isn't just _some chick_, this is our beloved Lucia we're talking about!"

"Hmph." Kaito returned the glare towards the tomboy and turned his head away.

Lucia cleared her throat and began her story. She did not mention the name Kaikane but somehow in almost every small detail she brought out, Kaito felt sudden jolts within him as if he had been there in that dream himself. As Lucia continued, Kaito began to shiver, not because of the chill that the powerful air conditioning system was blowing out throughout the floor. The champion surfer boy felt every detail, every emotion, and every tidbit of scenery, atmosphere, and dialogue jolting immediately on his mind. Right then his mind drifted to contemplation mode.

_No... you can't be... That's just impossible... That's exactly what I saw in my own dream! _Kaito shook his head quickly, trying to get rid of these inner thoughts away. Even if that was the case he discovered how much he wanted to hear more. He decided to keep cool at the moment as he listened.

After Lucia was finished with her dream, Rina smiled in delight. "Aww... Seriously you need to look for that boy somehow, Lucia. I mean, who would have thought that boys at age seven can be really nice, friendly, and sweet too! He's gotta have a good heart altogether!"

"Heh, nice," Subaru snickered. "Ya got yourself a decent dude for your true love, Lucia." He then quickly turned to Kaito and made his statement. "Yo Kaito--- the boy Lucia was in love with in her dream sounds a lot like you."

Kaito felt another jolt of surprise and glared right at Subaru again. "The hell...? I ain't nice, friendly, and sweet, dude! Why the hell are you comparing me to that dream dude?"

"Don't be all acting tough, man," Subaru continued with the snicker. "The Rainbowside dudes know you well, man. You're usually humble and honest like that and despite of your _one-week girlfriends _thing, just breaking a girl's heart isn't really your thing. Let's take Michal, for example. We all know--- even you know--- that she's got the hots for you. You're not particularly interested in her but you still let her hang around you. And what about---"

"Okay, okay, I get it, Subaru." Kaito hushed the young surfing instructor and became silent afterwards.

"Well then, now that we heard Lucia's dream in general, what's yours, Kaito?"

"Huh... mine?" Kaito blinked in surprise as he noticed Subaru, Lucia, and Rina staring right back at him. _How the hell am I supposed to tell them my dream when it's... it's... exactly the same... as Lucia's...?_ "Uh... nothing important."

"Hey, don't give us that excuse, Kaito," Rina glared with her arms crossed. "Lucia already told hers. Why can't you tell yours too? That's just downright unfair, man!"

"Look, it's not important! Besides... I just remembered something I forgot to do." He then turned to Lucia right away. "Lucia..."

"Y-Yeah, Kaito?" Lucia blinked nervously once she felt a loud thump within her chest. "W-what...?" Kaito quickly headed to Lucia's side and took her by the hand. Gently he dragged her with him all the way outside the library. "Wait! Kaito--- where are we going? Where are you taking me?"

"Hey, what gives!" Rina frowned as she watched Kaito and Lucia exit the library. "Where the hell are they heading out to?"

Subaru shrugged his arms. "Beats me. He didn't even search for that girl's name... the one he was gonna ask to be his tandem surfing partner." He turned to the computer Kaito was using earlier and only saw a rather strange spelling of Leolani in the _kana _writing system. "What an idiot... for someone who knows a bit of Hawaiian he can't even spell her name right in katakana. Why can't he just use the English version of the database search and just spell the name in romanized alphabet?"

Moments later, Hippo and Misao arrived, with a rather huge cardboard box on Hippo's arms. "Sorry we're late," Misao said to the rest of the group. "The stuff that the Nanamis were looking for was just really... interesting... but we packed up the stuff from the archives in this box, so we're good to go."

Hippo noticed that two people were missing at their table. "Say... where are Lucia and Kaito?"

"Out." Rina and Subaru answered simultaneously.

"Oh great... That Kaito better not make Lucia cry or he's seriously gonna get it!"

Meanwhile at the very secretive Rainbowside S-Cube Beach, the rest of the surfer dudes had begun their surf training. Nagisa and Hanon were finally getting used to surfing together in one tandem longboard they lent from Masahiro though they still have not trained in doing the very difficult and treacherous tricks they needed to impress the judges and everyone watching. Gaito and Sara were already ahead as they were already making their first few lifts at the very shallow swell that was accelerating them back to the shore. The three surfer girls, Coco, Noel, and Caren, had been dominating attention from the S-Cube regulars, not only due to their amazing skills with both the shortboard and the longboard, but their grace and beauty also took the males' attention rather than the type of bikini they were wearing. Masahiro, Daichi, and Kengo were resting at the shore while doing some light weightlifting with their small weights.

The entire Rainbowside felt a lot safer and more secure just being at the S-Cube. They should have taken this particular beach as their training spot instead of the Kaigara Boulevard Sector 7 Beach, in which Pearl Waters was one of the familiar spots located across from that beach. Though it was the usual fun times at this particular beach, somehow it was not as exciting or as hype as it always had been only because two of the Rainbowside's favorite surfers, champion competitor Kaito Doumoto and surf instructor Subaru Shibatani, were not present. At the same time they knew that Kaito was somewhat _in hiding _from his many admirers from near and far including the media and the paparazzi.

Nagisa and Hanon just got back from step one of tandem surfing basics and headed to their base spot where Masahiro, Kengo, and Daichi were resting. Afterwards, the three surfer girls also finished their rides and met with the others already at the spot.

"Whew!" Hanon sighed in relief and lied down on her beach blanket, resting after the rather wild ride she and Nagisa had together. "I never knew how hard tandem surfing is altogether! But wow... how come it's so rare to see couples surf together on one board?"

"Yeah, I wanna know the reason too." Nagisa nodded in agreement with Hanon.

"Aside from... you know... tandem board in general cost more than an arm and a leg." Masahiro answered, knowing that the tandem boards that the two tandem couples were using for training cost him close to a hundred thousand yen per board. "That's why professional surfers are sponsored by these surfboard shaping companies and provide him their very best boards for training and competition. That's another thing that Gaito and I talked about recently. We need to find a sponsor and supply us some tandem surfboards so we don't have to spend our personal life savings just for them."

"How much do these tandem boards cost anyway?" Hanon asked curiously. Masahiro provided her an average price, which jolted Hanon in shock. "... Never mind..."

"Hey guys!" Coco called from nearby as the four turned to her and the twin girls. "Look out there at the swells! Check out those moves!"

Hanon, Nagisa, Masahiro, Kengo, and Daichi stood up from their spots and gazed their eyes towards the beach. Right at that time, Gaito and Sara, both carrying their tandem board, arrived at the scene.

"What's going on here?" Sara asked curiously when Noel and Caren pointed their fingers towards the sea where a lone surfer girl rode her wave and displaying some of the smoothest moves any surfing enthusiast had ever seen. Her way through the waves and her maneuvering her board was a true reminiscent of Kaito Doumoto's skills that earned him the championship title in almost all of the major competitions he participated since his debut as a professional.

"Did she just do...?" Daichi murmured his reaction right when they spotted her doing a 360-turn aerial three times from the waves that launched her up on the air.

"That's a triple spinner aerial..." Masahiro and Kengo identified the move the girl just executed.

"What the hell--- how'd she do that?" Coco exclaimed in shock. "Even I can't do that!"

"I don't think I've seen Kaito do a 360 aerial three times!" Nagisa gasped in shock.

"I don't think I've seen any other hotdogger do a 360 aerial three times." Masahiro made another statement.

"Dude, that chick seriously owns the world's champion shortboarders with a move like that!"

Gaito gasped in complete shock once he observed this mysterious surfer girl riding her wave in style. _No way... Only a true champion surfer would be able to do those moves. Kaito and in some cases Hamasaki were able to do those slick moves on the surface, but this girl...? Unless if this girl is..._

"Wait! Wait!" Caren exclaimed while she continued to watch the surfer girl in awe. "Hold on... I think I can see her a bit closer now... Is that...? No way... it can't be... it just can't be!"

"Hm... now that you mentioned it, Caren..." Sara murmured while she continued to watch. As the surfer girl's ride was closing in near the shore they were able to have a clearer look of how this girl looked like. Quickly she took Gaito by the arm and slowly dragged him to the front. "What do you think, Gaito?"

Gaito stood still, still staring at the surfer girl in amazement. As leader of the Rainbowside he knew no outsider would ever know of this spot and the only ones who would were any Rainbowside members, former Rainbowside members, and those related to both current and former Rainbowside members. In conclusion, this particular girl may be a former Rainbowside surfer. Her skills were way too advanced for her to be labeled as a new member.

"There was only one surfer whom I've seen do that kind of crazy move just now..." Gaito murmured his response to Sara. "In fact... it was one of the biggest childhood memories I'll never forget."

"Really?" Sara asked curiously. "Who would be that surfer, Gaito?"

Gaito answered in a soft tone. "The legend herself..."

"Gaito... you don't mean to say... Are you thinking the same name I'm thinking right now? I mean... just by how she looked--- wetsuit, slim figure, and that hairdo? Either that or I'm seeing things..."

Right then, the surfer girl made her kick-out from the ocean and concluded her ride. Quickly she carried her shortboard and dashed to a different direction from where the rest of the Rainbowside were standing. It was rather obvious to the surfer boys, especially Gaito, that this surfer girl did not want to show herself to the public.

"Wait!" Nagisa called out for the surfer girl as Gaito quickly pulled him back on his shoulder. "But Gaito--- aren't were supposed to confront her and ask her how she knew about our S-Cube?"

"There's no need, Nagisa." Gaito answered to the younger surfer. "It's obvious she was a former member of the Rainbowside. As the saying goes, once you're part of a surf tribe, you'll always be part of that surf tribe. Your family members are automatic Rainbowside surfers should they pursue and enter the sport itself. Besides... I'm pretty sure she'll be back soon."

"Oh..." Nagisa slightly lowered his head. Sara stood next to Gaito, still looking rather overwhelmed at what she had witnessed.

"Still... she reminded me so much of her... even the hair too..." Sara made her comment while Coco, Noel, and Caren stood next to her.

"You know, one day," Noel spoke. "One day, ladies. We'll approach her and speak to her. We don't have to ask her to join the tournament team, but it would be awesome if she does come and watch the team do their stuff and win, you know?"

"Yeah." The girls nodded as they continued to watch the surfer girl fade from their vision.

Outside at the park where the library was located, Kaito brought Lucia further away from the public and were now standing underneath a tall cherry tree. Though there were no more blossoms left, a few of the soft petals coming from the blossoms still complimented the very atmosphere they just entered. Lucia never looked more nervous with Kaito than how she was nervous whenever he found her gazing at him. This time, she was standing against the tree with Kaito just less than a feet apart from her, facing her head on with a rather serious expression on his face.

"What... why did you bring me out here, Kaito? What's the matter?" Though she had to show her concern she can feel her heart beating as hard as a timpani drummer. Quickly she placed her hand on to her heart so she can keep calm at this moment.

Kaito gazed at Lucia with no distinctive expression on his face, but also at the same rhythm as Lucia's heart the surfer boy also felt his heart beating at the same pace and the same impact. Just like Lucia he also placed his hand on to his heart to keep himself calm as well. He gulped nervously and began to speak.

"Who are you?" Kaito asked her a direct question.

"Who am I--- what do you mean by that?" Lucia began to retort with another question. "I'm Lucia Nanami... your homeroom classmate for three years now... and... your friend... well... that is if you consider me as one..."

"Look deeper within yourself, Lucia," Kaito answered and still had his eyes fixated on hers. "Then tell me who you really are..."

Lucia shook her head and lowered her head. "Why are you acting like this? It's like you think I'm some kind of a faker or something... well I'm not a kook or a poser, Kaito. I haven't done anything to make you feel like I'm the most annoying pest you've ever encountered..."

Kaito realized his being pushy towards Lucia and switched his positions to the side next to her, sighing out and slightly sat down on the ground. Lucia slowly sat down so she can be with him. "Kaito... what's wrong? You don't seem so happy... did I do anything wrong?"

"No... it's not you, Lucia... it's just..." He swallowed deeply and sighed again. "Lucia... look... I know you're probably finding this weird and all but... The reason why I didn't tell everyone my dream after you because..."

"What is it, Kaito? You know you can always count on me when you need help..."

"Lucia... my dream was exactly the same dream as yours... I'd repeat myself to them if I told them what my dream was about."

"Wait... you mean... you dreamed about being in a candle-lighted cave with a little boy and a little girl keeping themselves warm as they go to bed... and they were lying on a sand-covered surfboard as a pillow?" Lucia asked curiously to confirm if this was the actual dream Kaito saw on his. Right then Kaito nodded slowly.

"It was weird... it felt so real... and the girl was the girl I met at the secluded side of the S-Cube... the girl I told you about last week."

Lucia fell silent right then as she felt her heart continuously beating heavily and rapidly. She could not believe what she was hearing that she asked a few more questions afterwards. "Was the girl sleeping? Was she shedding tears?"

"She was... a lot."

"And... was the boy... keeping her warm... and whispering his thoughts on her ear? And before he went to sleep did he kiss her goodnight?"

Kaito nodded. "Yeah. _I _held her warm as close as she can to me... and _I_ kissed her goodnight before I went back to sleep..." Right then, both fell silent while both also began to blush heavily. Both were thinking that all this time that the ones they sought for the past seven years were just right there all along, but at the same time they were too afraid to ask the next question. Even if that was the case deep within they both had the urge to ask that particular question.

"Are you---?" Both turned to each other and attempted to ask the question, only to be interrupted by one another. This time they did not turn away from each other, but instead their eyes locked at one another. There was a type of force that neither can determine that was completely drawing them together regardless of the differences between the dreams they practically shared that day.

_Why... why can't I turn away from you, Kaito? I know the boy's name... but my heart still says it's you... Oh I still wish you were him... Maybe you have a second name you go by and I hope it's that name I heard from my dream..._ Lucia's conscience spoke her thoughts. Though that was the case now, Kaito was thinking the same.

_Are you her, Lucia? Were you the one who rescued me that night? Where you the one I kissed that night? Why won't you tell me who you really are? On the other hand, I didn't use my real name either so I guess you couldn't recognize me... But still... why does it feel like I have to be with you? Why do I feel that I have to have you? Why do I feel like I can't allow any other guy to win your heart? Why do I feel like we should always be together?_

Just at that frozen moment Lucia found her eyes filling up with tears again. There was no doubt that Kaito had to be her missing Kaikane. Why would he be dreaming the same thing she did at the same time at the same place? Furthermore, why would he take her out from the library to talk about his dream and not tell everyone else about it? After examining his features from the smallest to the whole picture she was truly sure that he was the one she rescued and the one she fell in love with--- her first love, her only love.

Before Lucia was going to break the silence she immediately felt strong and secure arms around her waist and just as she was going to take another gasp of surprise she found herself closer to Kaito than before. Her hands ended up on his chest and her cheeks blushed even more red than before.

"Kaito... I... I can't take it anymore..." Lucia mumbled her words with one tear already dropping slowly on to her cheek. Kaito said nothing after her words. Somewhat on an unconscious mode he began to get closer to her.

_I'm sorry, Lucia... I'm confused right now. There's only one way I'll know if you really are her. Forgive me... _In his mind he felt as if Lucia never kissed anyone or if any guy ever kissed her at all. He knew he could be her first kiss if applicable, but at the same time he knew he may get an unfavorable result that can scare her away from him. Though that may be possible he hoped that would not happen as a result.

_Kaito... are you going to... Kaito... _Lucia suddenly closed her eyes as her heartbeat sped up and pumped harder at the intense anticipation that something special was about to happen. She waited as she felt the warm aura surrounding her and Kaito were becoming a lot warmer and warmer as he got closer.

A few inches. Just a few inches more until their lips were about to meet. If only they were not so much in the open distractions would have never existed. Just a few inches more and excited voices just had to break the special silence.

"We're not interrupting anything, are we?"

"GAH!" Kaito quickly withdrew himself from Lucia when he turned his head to a huge mob of fan girls led by those infamous morning gossip DJs on the radio--- a young lady named CC and a young man named Gizmo--- with microphones on their hands, pointing directly towards this period's most talked about surfer boy on the air. At the same time he got himself in front of Lucia so no one would be able to identify the mystery girl he was about to kiss. Lucia turned her head away and stayed behind him. "What the hell's all this...?"

"Hey there, surf stud!" CC winked with her microphone right at him. "The whole day all our faithful listeners had been going around town looking for you! We're CC and Gizmo of the Nijibe Youth Talk Corner and you are the main favorite subject of our talk this morning and the past mornings before that! The listeners would like to know what you have been up to as of late!"

Kaito froze, unable to say a single word from his mouth as Gizmo joined in the interview. "What was that latest talk? Oh yes--- finding true love for his tandem surfing partner?"

"No, Gizmo! He already found his true love and he was going to ask her to be his tandem surfing partner! Isn't that right, Kaito Doumoto?"

_What the---? _Lucia's voice gasped within her as she closed her eyes, trying to keep herself hidden. _The entire town knows about him not having a tandem surfing partner?_

"Kaito--- tell us the truth! Who is that mysterious true love--- and is she going to be your tandem surfing partner?" The fan girls exclaimed in anxiousness and in curiosity.

Gizmo quickly made his move by heading to the spot behind Kaito in order to get Lucia to speak. Just as he switched his position, Kaito used his arm to block his way from getting close to Lucia.

"Yo, lay off!" Kaito suddenly exclaimed with chagrin on his expression. "I'm on intense surf training for the tournament. I'm not here to fool around. If you're wondering what the hell's going on with me, then talk to me. Anyone involved with me including any one of the tournament team players, OC-5 band members, or even my twin, back off!"

_You're... protecting me, Kaito...? _Lucia continued to keep herself hidden while blushing more intensely.

The fan girls began to break in panic as they mumble to one another about their reaction to Kaito's response. CC, the more aggressive of the two Djs, continued to pursue her interview. "Well, tell us this, Mr. Doumoto! Have you found your tandem surfing partner yet? Your entire admiration crew are very happy and willing to volunteer to be that aiding partner, you know!"

Kaito blinked in confusion at first and gazed at his entire fan club. Immediately he snickered and said: "Sorry, ladies, but I already found her."

"What? You have?!" The fan girls and the DJs exclaimed in shock.

_Already...? _Lucia also heard his response and her heart began to gradually break in to small pieces. _Oh no... but... but I want to be your tandem surfing partner, Kaito... Why was I too late? This is all your fault for not volunteering, Lucia! Now he'll end up falling in love with that new partner and I'll lose my chance for him--- maybe even for good..._

"Yeah, I have." Kaito repeated his response. "As of this morning."

"So," Gizmo continued with the short interview, "who's the lucky girl? Do any of your admirers know of her?"

"Hm... hard to say..." Kaito went on with his usual smooth tricks towards his media. "Why are you all interested all of a sudden when you should become more interested in my tandem surfing team _after _we win, right? The real surfing media become hyped and interested in a surfer after he wins a major tournament and boy--- you get serious sponsors from all the major surfing companies from gear to board--- not to mention major advertisements too! My partner and I, we haven't even started, we haven't surfed in front of the public yet, and most of all, we haven't won any contests and surf meets yet. You want to know more about our tandem pair? Wait until the end of the tournament."

"Well then!" CC cheered with a nervous grin on her face. "You got a point there, Mr. Doumoto! Very well then! We can't wait to see you and your mysterious tandem surfing partner rock at the tournament this coming month!"

After a few final words exchanged, the DJs led the fan girls out of the library park, considering that they were at the library. When the huge crowd disappeared, both Kaito and Lucia sighed in relief.

"So... you already found your partner, Kaito?" Lucia asked curiously, feeling rather nervous at what he was going to say. "Or did you just say that to drive those weird DJs away?"

Kaito leaned against the tree, resting. "Both."

_Then he already found his new partner then! Well... there goes my chance at true love..._ Lucia sighed sadly and lowered her head. Before she can make her statement, Kaito beat her right then.

"Don't worry about surfing, Lucia. The only thing you need is to know how to swim. I heard you're one of the best swimmers at PE class in school, so... it shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Lucia's eyes opened wide in shock and quickly turned her head towards him. "Wait... what were you saying? Are you telling me...?"

Kaito slightly blushed and smiled right at her. "Well... if you want to..."

"But Kaito... Why did you tell them you're... well..."

He slightly shook his head. "When I got to the library earlier I had a name that came in mind but when I got to the database search I didn't care about the name anymore. I don't have time to search for her and time is running out. I'm sorry if I seemed to be messing around with you earlier today, but after that dream... well... I realized I can't yearn for her anymore. So... what do you say, Lucia?"

Lucia could not help herself but give him a huge smile of content. _Kaito! I... I can't believe it... it's like a dream come true... except it's not a dream. This is real!_

"I'll talk to Taro and Rihito first before we make it official. Okay, Lucia?"

"Mm!" Lucia nodded immediately and instantly embraced him tightly to her from behind. "Kaito... I'm... I'm very honored to... compete with you..."

Kaito just chuckled and to Lucia's surprise, he placed his hand gently on to her embracing hands. While the two had their small moment at that point, the rest of their group earlier at the library were already finished with the archives and records searching. Rina, Subaru, Misao, and Hippo witnessed the two from a good distance, not just from witnessing but also eavesdropping.

"Oh, hell no..." Hippo mumbled his reaction to himself.

"Did Kaito just asked Lucia to be his tandem surfing partner...?" Misao asked curiously towards Subaru while her boyfriend continued to grin throughout the entire scene.

"Kaito Doumoto, you are _the man_, dude!" Subaru made his statement.

"Holy cow..." Rina chuckled and turned to Hippo. "Looks like I'm not the only one who has a second event to compete to."

"Well... he better not make her cry--- or else he'll seriously pay!" Hippo glared right towards Kaito with a fist tightening on his right hand."

"Hippo, chill. He'll talk to Taro and Rihito first regarding the new tandem partner team before they make it official. I can see he is a very responsible person when it comes to things such as this."

Hippo still could not believe his eyes and ears that his older sister would end up surfing at one point of her life. Now this new tandem surfing partnership began to intrigue him.

"Dude..." Hippo mumbled that one single word as the four approached Lucia and Kaito. It was time for them to head out to town again and have their lunch.

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_

_I recently got a job and I'll be starting on Monday at 3/30, meaning the fic updates will be a little later than the usual._

_#1 – A **betty **is another surfer lingo for a female surfer girl. It's another variation of what a **honey** is, except it's specifically towards girls who can actually surf, not just surfer boys' girlfriends (or wanna-bes...)._

_#2 - Just a short explanation on Kanji (for those who aren't familiar with the Japanese writing system). On the scene where Taro explains to Rihito about the particular word (kai), he was talking about the Kanji for **umi** (_**海**_). The Kanji writing system is basically borrowed Chinese characters with more than one reading in each of them. There are two kinds of readings: kun-yomi (kun reading) and on-yomi (on reading). Kun-yomi readings is basically the standard Japanese reading for that character, while the on-yomi is the original Chinese reading at the time the character was introduced in to the system. In the case of _海_, **umi** and **mi** would be the kun-yomi reading for that character and **kai** will be the on-yomi reading. The only time that you use the on-yomi reading for that character is when it is in combination of another character, although at times **mi** is also used (usually when it's used as a second character rather than the first, sometimes used in the beginning, depending on the situation)._

_Examples of the usage of _海 _are below:_

海 _(__**umi**__) – ocean/sea (by itself)_

七海 _(nana__**mi**__) – seven seas_

海斗 _(__**kai**__to) - several/many seas (I'm not sure about this one because the "to" character is actually used as a measurement unit for volume, so it can be used when you write something like 14 liters of water or 10 kegs of sake, so I'm kinda leaning in the lines of "several oceans/seas" since there are a lot of bodies of water existing throughout the earth. ^_^; )_

海斗 _(__**gai**__to)_ – Same as _Kaito_, slight reading/pronunciation variation (always common in Japanese). I think his name was written in _katakana_ though in the anime, but if it was written in Kanji, it'd probably be written the same way as Kaito's name.

海月 _(__**mi**__tsuki) – sea moon (Why did I give Taro Mitsuki's surf nick as "Sea-Moon"? :P)_

_While doing research of surfer lingo to apply to some of the scenes of the fanfic I also made a discovery. I'm not familiar with the Hawaiian language, but I also found __**kai **__to be part of general surfer lingo, most common in Hawaii and California. I've heard a few local surfers in the past with saying things like "When you're out there surfing the waves, you are one with the mighty __**kai**__!" but I'm not sure if it's still common. In Hawaiian, __**kai **__also means ocean/sea, just like in the Japanese onyomi reading for __**umi**__, and its usage also has a similar application to form new words (or names). For instance, I used the Hawaiian names __**Kainehe **__and __**Kaikane**__ as the "surf nicks" for Gaito and Kaito (yeah, it's a spoiler, but if you haven't figured this one out from before then here you go). The meanings are the following:_

**_Kai_**_nehe – whispering sea_

**_Kai_**_kane – strong & mighty sea_

_Taro was trying to tie in Kaito's name with his surf nick of Kaikane, though Rihito already knew which one is which among the tribe anyway. But then again, imagine that--- the _**_kai _**_word__happens to be yet another surfer lingo, not just a part of a name pertaining to the ocean! ^^;_

_More to come, obviously! Please keep the reviews coming! I really appreciate it! ^_^_

**_RATED T_**_ for the VERY mild language and slight adult situations._

**_Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch_**_ is © 2003 Pink Hanamori and Michiko Yokote. All songs used are © respected songwriters/owners. No copyright infringement intended._


	12. Surf Sweethearts

**RIDE THE WILD SURF  
a Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch Fanfiction**

by Adrimarie

**Surf Sweethearts**

The clock stroke at six o'clock, which was the beginning of the busy peak for the volunteer staff of Pearl Waters. The original employees proceeded their jobs at the night shift while the volunteers ended their day shift. Nicola had not returned to Pearl Waters, which rose a bit of concern for the more veteran employees. Taro proceeded with his role as the associate manager of Pearl Waters so Maki and the aunt, Taki, continued to work at the kitchen for dinner.

Lucia, Rina, and Hippo arrived back at Pearl Waters at about three o'clock in the afternoon. They had a rather interesting lunch picnic at the library's park. The reason why it was interesting because of the young surf instructor Subaru Shibatani having his very lucky day when his library-volunteering girlfriend Misao Koshiki packed a whole lunch meal complete with salad, soup, main course of traditional curry stew and grilled _teriyaki _fish, thermal-heated cooked brown rice (for health reasons), and a thermal bottle of fresh white tea. Luckily for Kaito, Rina brought a picnic basket with chicken and tri-tip sandwiches enough to feed four people. After their lunch, the group parted to their own ways with Hippo holding on to the box filled with information he retrieved from the archives. Kaito made his way to the S-Cube at a different route on a moped (without a license) thanks to Subaru. Misao was brought home by Subaru before he and Kaito headed back to the S-Cube to continue on with his surf training hours after he waited for his lunch to be completely digested.

Tonight at Pearl Waters, Lucia, Rina, and Hanon were taking their rest at Lucia's bedroom for their usual girl talk with Hanon sitting at the edge of Lucia's bed next to Lucia while Rina sat at Lucia's desk chair facing the other two girls. Hanon missed out so much on the ongoings with her OC-5 female buddies that she looked desperate for the latest news. Tonight would be her lucky day for girl talk as so many things had happened at the library. Lucia told the story to Hanon but left off one small detail. She felt that neither Rina nor Hippo had seen the _almost-kiss _moment with her and Kaito earlier before those DJs from the morning show _Nijibe Youth Talk Corner_ and a huge mob of Kaito Doumoto fan girls interrupted their moment. She did mention about Kaito choosing her to be his tandem surfing partner, which made Hanon a lot more excited than ever.

"I'm no longer alone with tandem surfing!" Hanon cheered happily and embraced Lucia tightly to her. "We're gonna kick ass at tandem surfing, Lucia! I know so because you've got the champion surf-master Kaito as your partner!"

Lucia blushed, still thinking about her short, brief, yet special moment with the boy she still hoped was the mysterious Kaikane from her childhood past. Sure, she was chosen as his tandem surfing partner from the pressure of the media and his fan club, but what mattered the most to her was the _almost kiss_ moment she had with him. She was sure he was going to kiss her and somehow she did not care why he would. Just the thought of it made her heart beat a lot faster than her normal rate.

"Yeah! I... I'm not very good with gymnastics but I'll seriously do my best. I'm one of the best swimmers in school so I shouldn't have a problem recovering if I ever fall from the surfboard." Lucia answered with a huge happy grin on her face. "I... I never expected he would choose me, though I did intend to volunteer for it. He seemed so confident when he asked me to be his partner; like he has complete trust in me, you know? That's why I'm going to work so hard to perfect those acrobatic lifts and not going to let him down!"

"Aww..." Hanon gave a slight frown. "Don't you know what it means when a particular surfer boy asks a certain girl to be his partner? It's a sign that he's seriously interested in you. He wants to share his wild rides with you, and when you do fall in love with those rides, he'll make sure he'd share more than just his ride with you, you know?"

Rina snickered and became intrigued with Hanon's explanation. "So, you're falling for Nagisa Shiroi too?"

"Hey!" Hanon exclaimed right out at Rina, unaware that her cheeks were beginning to blush. "Nagisa and I are like comrade buddies of the surf, you know? We paired up so we can win, baby!"

"Oh come on, Hanon, why is it that you don't apply your preaching to yourself? If you think Kaito wants to share more than his board and his rides with Lucia, wouldn't that apply the same with you and Nagisa? I think Nagisa Shiroi is a sweet kid and quite mature for his age. In fact I think he's even a lot more mature than you..."

"Oh quit it, Rina!" Hanon stuck her tongue right at Rina and quickly turned to Lucia. "So, what are you gonna do, Lucia?"

"Well, Kaito said he's gonna talk to Rihito and Taro about it so we can set some time to practice while I continue with the OC-5 rehearsals. Oh man, I have never seen him so pumped with tandem surfing earlier today! It's like... his smile just brightened up like the sun right when I accepted. I feel so honored that I get to be the lucky partner, Hanon!" Lucia sighed in bliss and placed her hands on her rapidly beating heart. "He was so sweet when he asked... he wasn't like all forceful and all that and he didn't sound reluctant too. The way he approached it is like... it's like..."

"Like Kaito _actually _wanted to ask you to be his partner?" Hanon completed Lucia's sentence. "Oh come on, Lucia! That's a major sign there! He wants you, girl, and it's not just to surf together either. He wants you... as in... really bad! What happens if you guys take first place at the tandem surfing contest at the tournament next month? He's gonna want more from you than just the championship trophy, Lucia!"

Lucia fell silent and could not help herself but to blush and sigh in bliss some more. Rina smirked while shaking her head. "Hanon, don't encourage her like that..."

"What the heck, Rina, I'm going to be tandem surfing too! I even saw a few documentary DVDs and short videos from YouTube about tandem surfing before I started practicing with Nagisa. My gosh, I have to look beautiful for the competition. I mean, there could be talent agents over there who may want to check me out so I have to look best!"

"Right," Rina responded with her expression unchanged. "Beauty ain't the only thing that counts, girl. You won't get any beauty points if you flop your acrobatic lifts and get wiped out along with Nagisa. Now that would be embarrassing!"

"Hey! We're working hard here, Rina! Nagisa's like... desperately trying to get in shape and build strength so he'll be strong enough to carry little ol' me... He's so sweet and determined!"

"Hanon, it'd be easier if you do your fitness part too by losing a bit of weight. Then Nagisa won't have a hard time carrying you and break his back..." Rina made his statement while Hanon glared right at the tomboy.

"Says who, Rina? I've got a perfect, standard-sized body here! I've had my last checkup with my doctor not too long ago and he said to just keep maintaining this very beautiful shape I possess!"

"Oh..." Lucia began to worry and lowered her head in shame. "I... I'm gonna have to wear a bikini too... and... I'm not exactly comfortable with bikinis especially when the boys..."

Hanon giggled and nudged Lucia on the side. "You know I can help you with the bikini problem. I'll even pick you the hottest bikini out there too! You also know that Kaito loves looking at the wildest bikinis. Once you reveal yourself with those hottest bikinis, Kaito's seriously going to jump you and get all hot and heavy---"

"No, Hanon... I'm too young to think about all that!" Lucia exclaimed and grabbed her pillow to cover her face. "Besides... he... he wouldn't do such a thing... I know he wouldn't."

Hanon continued to insist. "How can you be sure, Lucia? He's dated several girls for a few years now. You'd never know all the _activities_ he's done with those girls, hm? And another thing, what makes you think that Kaito is _inexperienced_, hm?"

"... _Inexperienced_?" Lucia began to quiver, seeing some random images appearing in her mind regarding the deadly attractive surfer boy. "I... um... well... I know he wouldn't... because... because... he's way too busy perfecting his rides and taming the surf! He's first and foremost a top-notch professional surfer. His second priority would be the surf tribe--- meaning his fellow surfers. Not every surfer boy in this town actually compete in major tournaments, you know. Some of them, like Subaru Shibatani, are more interested in promoting and spreading the sport of surfing to those who are interested. Others, like Rihito Amagi, only surf as a recreational sport. Most of them are kooks and posers, using the sport of surfing to get girls."

"Why don't you ask Kaito about that, Lucia? I mean you two are like close now and you guys like... share everything now. I'm sure he wouldn't mind answering if he's _experienced _or not!" Hanon gave a wink at her nervous friend.

"Hanon, we all know he's experienced with dating and dealing with girls," Rina answered. "Asking for his experience with _somewhat other related things _is a little too much, you know? Besides, Lucia has no experience with dating, no guy has ever asked her out, and another thing, I'm pretty sure Kaito wouldn't make certain... uh... unexpected moves... on a girl like Lucia. Sure he's a pervert but if what he and Lucia have is true love he would give so much respect to Lucia and take things slow."

"... Unless Lucia wants to experience it early on, hm?" Hanon giggled.

"No! No way!" Lucia exclaimed in opposition. "I'm not that kind of girl... I'm not!"

"Well, speaking of Kaito," Hanon giggled while gently nudging Lucia on the side. "He and the surf tribe are coming over here for dinner tonight, so you have a chance to spend some more time with him to... uh... you know... discuss your competition battle plan in tandem surfing!"

"Hey, I have a better idea!" Lucia exclaimed happily once she remembered Kaito looking very hungry during their lunch picnic earlier that day with Subaru having a complete meal while the rest had sandwiches from Rina. She thought of Misao working so hard to make the entire lunch meal for Subaru during daytime. Because the surfer boys will be here in a moment for dinner she thought of Kaito. "Are any of you girls on waitress duty or juice bar duty?"

"I'm on waitress duty tonight," Rina answered. "What's your plan, Lucia?"

"Is there anything I can do to help too, Lucia?" Hanon asked curiously with a grin on her face.

Lucia asked the two to huddle up and explained her plan for tonight.

The hour struck at seven o'clock and Nicola finally arrived home. When she entered the restaurant she looked a little different from the eyes of Maki, Taro, and the rest of the Pearl Waters staff. Though she still appeared in her usual manager attire her hair looked a little flat. In addition to that, a few could even catch a rather distinctive smell just as Nicola walked in to the kitchen area.

"I'm home!" Nicola announced to everyone at the kitchen area, which made Taro and Maki sigh in relief. Aunt Taki appeared at the door and embraced her niece. "How's business going, everyone?"

"You smell like sea water, Nicola," Taki reminded her bluntly after she embraced her niece. "Where have you been?"

"Well... I just had to get away for a bit to think of a few things. I even braved myself to hang out at the more secluded beach area and wade by the shore. I tripped on a log and fell, which was why I smell like sea water right now. But I'm alright!"

Those present gazed at each other, looking rather both curious and suspicions at the same time. Taro turned to his cousin with an opening statement. "Where on earth did you go, Nicola? Secluded beach?"

"Oh come on you guys," Nicola chuckled nervously. "You know--- the secluded beach at the S-Cu---" before she can continue she stopped herself quickly, realizing she was going to reveal the exact location.

Maki and Taro quickly dragged Nicola back in the kitchen to prevent anyone from eavesdropping. Taki stayed by the door to be sure no one would come to the door and walk in the three during their serious talk. Nicola looked rather curious at Maki and Taro of their concerns.

"What is it?" Nicola changed her voice tone back to her usual manager self.

"You drove all the way to the S-Cube?" Maki asked with a slight surprise on his expression. "You said you braved yourself by wading at the shore, that we believe. But of all places--- the S-Cube? Was anyone there?"

"Probably," Nicola shrugged. "But I don't think anyone saw. On the other hand... I had the best, pumped up ride I've ever ridden in my life, man! I'm like in total_ alchemy hour _now, yo!"

Maki and Taro turned to each other again, realizing what Nicola expressed herself. The Nicola Nanami they knew as manager of Pearl Waters did not speak the way the local surfers would speak. They knew right away that something must have came over Nicola that made her brave the beach and surfed out at the ocean.

"I went to the S-Cube chamber cave to pay my respects," Nicola continued, this time in her soft, usual speech. "I think it's about time to actually pay respects to Mom and Dad more appropriately by heading out at the S-Cube and heading out to the sea. As you know, the sea is their grave, and somehow when I got to the beach, I heard serene voices from the sea calling out to me. It seemed to be telling me to come and visit their spirits and ride their waves again. When I rode out there it felt so... heavenly."

Maki gasped and placed his arms on Nicola's shoulders. "After seven years of quitting, you rode the waves? What surfboard did you use?"

"One of my old ones that I found from the storage, Maki," Nicola answered promptly, blinking her eyes. "It wasn't the GG board but the GG Jr. board--- my shortboard."

"How'd you do, Nicola?" Taro asked curiously.

Nicola grinned and gave the two boys a thumbs up. "I still got it, dudes! I was so happy after I kicked out from the wave that my special skills are still intact! My signature triple spinner aerial? I still got it! Too bad I didn't get to do that at the regionals seven years ago, but still... I owned that competition!"

"Whoa! That sounds awesome, girl!" Taro chuckled as he and Nicola gave each other a pump fist like the local surfers always did.

The atmosphere around the kitchen fell silent when Maki changed his tone of voice. "Well... it looks like you have found your true self again, Nicola. I'm glad you have. We've missed the one we always knew. Good for you."

Nicola gave a nod towards Maki and gave a faint smile. "I... I don't know what came over me... but you guys are right. Who am I kidding? I can't get rid of my old self at all."

"And eventually you will have to talk to your siblings about what really happened those seven years ago," Maki also reminded Nicola regarding Lucia and Hippo. "It's not worth messing with their heads about all this. They have the right to know too. I know you are being protective of them, but they're growing up now and one day they won't need you anymore to watch over them. One day they'll find someone they'll fall in love with and would want to spend the rest of their lives with that someone. You know as much as the rest of us here know that Lucia is very close to finding that someone."

"What are you talking about, Maki?" Nicola asked humbly. "Lucia's too shy to confess her feelings to a boy if she's ever secretly in love with someone. And if she is I'm sure he's a sweet, fine boy who would be willing to take care of her once they come of age."

"Question," Taro interrupted with his arms crossed. "What if that _sweet_, _fine boy_ turns out to be a surfer dude?"

Nicola burst in to laughter and responded. "Lucia in love with a surfer dude? Crushes are one thing, but falling in love is another! My heart's been crushed by a certain surfer dude when I was her age and ever since then I've never fallen in love with anyone ever again! Lucia is way smarter at age fourteen than I was back then and there's no way in hell she's going to fall in love with a surfer dude just like that! She has a bigger heart than I do and it'd be a miracle if this surfer dude also happens to have a bigger heart who is actually ready and willing to fall in love with a girl who doesn't fall in to the _beach bimbo _category!" She turned to Maki, still preventing herself from laughing further. "What about you, Maki? It's been what... three years? Three years since you lost Saori and even until now you haven't moved on."

Maki crossed his arms with a slight frown on his face. "This isn't me we're talking about here, Nicola... or should I call you by your _surf nick_? Look, I'm just saying that eventually you will have to talk to your siblings about what really happened because if you don't tell them, someone else will."

Nicola fell silent and sighed deeply, lowering her head. Just at that moment, Lucia arrived at the kitchen area with a huge smile on her face, startling Nicola, Maki, and Taro then. Taki followed her from behind and shrugged her arms, softly apologizing to the three for letting Lucia in.

"I'm ready to cook tonight's dinner, everyone!" Lucia excitedly cheered as she grabbed her bandanna to wrap it around her hair and wore her white apron that had her name sewn on the top left corner. "Hey, what's with the sad, long faces here?"

Nicola noticed her sister and gave her an embrace. "It's nice to see you happy and pumped up for tonight, Lucia!"

Lucia quickly pulled herself away from Nicola once she detected a certain smell. "Nicola? You smell like sea water... did you brave the beach and took a swim or something?"

"Ack!" Nicola shrieked and covered her mouth. "Um... I... tripped and fell while I was wading around the shore... yeah..."

"Like big sister, like little sister!" Lucia chuckled, recalling her little accident with Kaito at her first trip at the S-Cube a week ago. "Anyway, I want to take the night shift at the kitchen tonight because Kaito and the Rainbowside surfers are gonna be here tonight!"

"Hm?" Nicola raised an eyebrow, looking very intrigued. "Let me guess... you want to cook dinner for the dudes, right?"

"Well... um... actually... Rina, Hanon, and I planned this little bit. Rina's gonna be the dudes' waitress and she's gonna convince Kaito to pick tonight's special and... I want to cook the entire meal just for him... you know?"

"Oh... I see!" Nicola gave a slight humble smile but deep inside she shivered in nervousness. "Any special occasion?"

Lucia giggled softly and turned to Taro, who just remained silent but smiling at the same time. Then she turned to Nicola. "You see... Kaito asked me to be his tandem surfing partner!"

Nicola's eyes widened in shock and placed her hands on Lucia's shoulders. "What--- you mean the older Doumoto Twin, right?"

"No! The younger twin!" Nicola almost lost her balance in quite a surprising news. "The champion _kahuna _himself!"

"Well... you can't surf, Lucia! I mean... you barely even get near the water yourself! You did tell him you can't do it, right?"

"Are you kidding, Nicola? I said yes to him!" Lucia giggled happily. "He said I didn't need to know how to surf just to be his tandem surfing partner. He picked me because he knows my awesome swimming skills in school! I'm part of the school swim team in case you forget!"

Nicola turned away and lowered her head. "That's the swimming pool, Lucia. We are talking about ocean water. It's a whole different ballgame because the ocean never stays still."

"Still! Swimming is still swimming. Lifeguards are required to learn how to swing in order to save lives of people drowning out there! Also, Kaito and all the other surfers there said that before you learn how to surf, you have to know how to swim! I'm not as helpless and wimpy as you think, Nicola."

"There is a huge, obvious reason why there are no lifeguards at the beach across from us, Lucia. Tandem surfing at Sector 7 Beach is treacherous and deadly! It's not as easy as you think it is! Why on earth did you accept his offer when you barely even know what the heck _tandem surfing _is?"

Lucia felt a sense of anger within her, knowing that Nicola was disapproving of her participation in tandem surfing. "Nicola, I've seen videos and DVDs about tandem surfing long time ago thanks to Hippo. I know _exactly _what tandem surfing is! I think it's a beautiful yet challenging sport but still a worthy sport for someone like me to get in to. Besides, Kaito is the one who's going to surf. I'm just riding along with him and try to look graceful with the lifts, so please, just chill!"

Nicola shook her head and gazed right at her younger sister. "Lucia, I have not seen Kaito show his experience in tandem surfing. I know he's a very talented, highly-skilled surfer. His championship titles for the past five years or so already proved to me that he is a true, worthy _kahuna_. Even if that was the case he's inexperienced with tandem surfing, most especially when he's dealing with girls! I'm told of his reputation with girls in general, Lucia."

"Nicola, you don't know him for you to judge him, plus Kaito and the rest of the Rainbowside really need help. They really want to be in this tournament and if they don't complete all of the requirements then they'll never qualify to compete. He asked me to be his partner, Nicola. If I said no then it'd be the same as putting the entire town down because Nijibe isn't in the tournament competitors' list! Plus, Kaito and I are friends and despite of his flaws with other girls he was friendly and down to earth to me. He hasn't made any moves on me if that's what you're wondering..."

Nicola approached his sister and embraced her. "Oh Lucia... Kaito isn't the reason why I'm concerned about your participation in tandem surfing. I'm a little uncertain about him dealing with girls, but I have mad respects for him as a surfer. Well, if you really want to participate that much, Lucia, then I'll support you all the way. At the same time I'll make sure Kaito actually takes care of you and not run around fooling around with other girls."

Lucia smiled hearing what her older sister just said and returned the embrace. "Kaito is... no longer the boy you've heard from those crazy rumors. He's changed so much, even the rest of his dudes say the same too. I don't know what made him change but... I have complete trust in him."

"And like I said, I'll make sure he actually does take care of you. Tandem surfing isn't just about pairing together with some random person who may be cute or hot or whatever... mutual trust is major key to a successful tandem ride. It's like the two of you are deeply in love with each other except you aren't. Since he asked you to be his partner instead of you volunteering to be his partner for some hidden reason, that's telling me that he has complete trust and faith in you, not just as a person or as a friend but as someone who would help him score the highest points in the contest." Nicola released Lucia from her embrace and continued. "Although I have to warn you, Lucia. About ninety-nine point nine nine eight percent of tandem surfing couples do fall in love, get married, and have children. You better be careful with Kaito, Lucia. I don't want him taking advantage of your feelings and then hurt you at the end. That's all I want to tell you."

Though Lucia's real hope was to win Kaito's heart, she went along with her sister's warning. "I promise I'll be careful."

Nicola patted Lucia on the shoulder and then turned to Maki, Taki, and Taro. "Well, I need to do some things at the office. Carry on, kitchen crew!" She waved at everyone and exited the kitchen.

Maki, Taki, and Taro turned right away towards Lucia with curious expressions on their face while the fourteen-year-old blonde just returned the smile at them. "Well then, let's get cookin'!"

Taro patted Lucia on the shoulder with a wink on his face. "Looks like you're on your path to true love, little cousin!"

Lucia blushed when her aunt Taki stood right next to her with a grin on her face as well. "You know, quite coincidental, I must say. I actually did a tarot reading about you earlier today. It turned out that sometime today that the one who truly loves you the most will show himself to you."

Her niece stared at her blankly and confused. "... And?"

Taki chuckled nervously and shrugged her left arm. "Sorry, Lucia. That's all what that reading says."

"But Aunt Taki..." Lucia began her response while she washed her hands at the sink. "The only guy who was always there for me was Kaito. How do I know he's the one who truly loves me when he didn't even show any signs?" Right after she said the latter, flashbacks began to appear in her mind of what happened earlier today. Kaito wanted to kiss her, she thought. _What if Kaito really is the one who truly loves me? But I can't ask him that question... it'd be too embarrassing and it'd be too sudden... It's too early for me to figure out._

"You're still in to that Tarot reading stuff, Aunt Taki?" Taro chuckled and rested himself against the closed door. "Aunt Taki, you actually believe in that stuff?"

"My readings are accurate, nephew," Taki gave a slight glare towards her assistant manager nephew. "Well... most of the time. I used my old tarot cards to do Lucia's reading. I still haven't figured out my new one yet because I did a reading for Nicola the last time and I still can't figure it out."

Taro shook her head and crossed his arms. "What type of reading did you do on Nicola?"

"Oh, just a general, standard reading, that's all. I'll figure out what the reading meant soon!" Taki nodded, looking very confident.

"Well, thanks for the tarot reading, Aunt Taki," Lucia chuckled as she began slicing up ingredients for an upcoming dinner meal while Maki did most of the cooking procedures for the dish alone. "Maybe next time you can do tarot reading about me and Kaito as a possible couple!"

Taki laughed along with her niece. "Sure thing, Lucia. Maybe tomorrow."

Taro decided to head back out at the dining area and the juice bar to assist the staff at work there. Just as the three kitchen crew members head to their tasks, Rina and Hanon passed by the kitchen window and hung on their order slips at their rotating slip hanger. "Lucia!" Rina called through the window.

Lucia, still dicing potatoes in to squares, looked up to see her waitress friends waving at her. "Hey, what's up, ladies?"

"Your man and his tribe are here... and he's looking dang hot tonight, Lucia!" Hanon answered followed with soft giggles. "I really think you've won the love battle, girl! You're his tandem surfing partner now as of today, and I bet you he decided to look so deliciously hot is because of you!"

_Kaito! _Lucia's smile widened quickly with her heart beginning to beat faster like earlier. She covered her heart with her hand and turned to Hanon. "Oh Hanon... Rina... I really want to see him now..."

"Make your surprise special first, Lucia," Rina reminded her. "Hanon and I are ready to serve the Rainbowside table and I'll be sure to convince Kaito to order the special since it's your best dish to cook, right?"

Lucia grinned happily. "And never forget his bottle of cola and water! He can't survive eating without his cola!"

"Right!" Hanon winked. "You really are excited about this, aren't you, Lucia?"

"Well this is Kaito we're talking about here, Hanon, so why wouldn't Lucia be excited?" Rina snickered and turned her head through the kitchen counter window again. "Anyway Lucia, we're on it!"

Lucia gave her two friends two thumbs up as Rina and Hanon headed back at the dining area to serve the Rainbowside surfers' table, most especially Kaito. Taki and Maki overheard the conversation as the aunt turned to the younger niece. "What's tonight's special?"

"Tish's Seaside Chicken Pot Pie," Maki grinned as he continued his cooking at the stove. "It's Lucia's best dish inherited from her mother's old recipe notebook. Alongside Nicola's Seven Seas Coconut Shrimp Stew, Tish's Seaside Chicken Pot Pie is also a major favorite, most especially with surfers and swimmers. It's got all the nutrients surfers and swimmers need to power up and able to perform their sport efficiently. Lucia would always eat that pie during her lunchtime whenever her swim team has a meet that day after school."

Taki chuckled as she watched Lucia getting the ingredients and the pie's batter prepared for their special. With Lucia's motivated look, Taki began to slice some more vegetables required for the pie to speed up Lucia's preparation.

Meanwhile at the Rainbowside surfers' table, Rina and Hanon approached them, ready to take their orders. During that point, there was a small chat between the surfers and the waitresses. "On waiting duty tonight, Rina?" Masahiro began the open chat. "You're usually at the juice bar."

"We rotate once in awhile." Rina answered while Hanon began her role.

"Well, anyway, welcome to Pearl Waters, you guys! I'm Hanon and this is Rina and we'll be your servers for tonight!" Hanon recited her usual line like what a waitress would do.

"Awesome! First time you ladies get to serve us fine, manly, hot, and cool surfer dudes. Totally awesome!" Nagisa exclaimed happily, winking at Hanon at the same time.

"Oh jeez, as if!" Hanon glared at Nagisa in disgust while Rina snickered at her.

"Well then!" Rina interrupted, getting in to business. "What can we get you start with? An appetizer? Any drinks?"

Gaito cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "Well then, Miss Rina and Miss Hanon. We'll get the usuals, but I'm afraid you're going to assist my twin brother here. He's a little... dazed today."

"Dazed?" Hanon giggled and turned to Kaito. "What's the matter, Kaito? Not hungry?"

"Not hungry--- more like _in love_!" Kengo snickered, nudging at Kaito on the side. Quickly Kaito slapped Kengo at the back of his head again. "Ow--- what?"

"Man, shut up!" Kaito exclaimed with a glare on his face and turned to the two waitresses. "Um... I was wondering... I don't see Lucia anywhere..."

"Oh, Lucia? She doesn't work as a waitress," Hanon giggled happily. "She always works at the kitchen regularly. Sometimes she would do the waiting when one of the regulars are off that night. I'm not sure exactly what she does in the kitchen though since Mrs. Nanami and Maki are the cooks there."

"Oh, I see," Kaito nodded, not exactly in a smirking mood at the moment. "Well, she never really told me her regular role at Pearl Waters. All I know is that she lives here with her family."

Hanon giggled happily and answered. "You wanna see Lucia?"

Kaito found himself blushing a little, but once again he turned back to his usual self again. "Yo, I just asked her where she was, Hanon. I didn't say anything about wanting to see her. You read too many _josei manga_ or whatever the hell you weird girls read lately. Why do you always assume a lot of stuff about me?"

Hanon glared and shouted: "You're so mean, Kaito! You better be happy that the reason why I still want to be friends with you isn't so I can hit on you again like the last time unlike the rest of your other _one-week exes_ as of late!"

"Ahem!" Rina cleared her throat to change the subject. "We have a special for tonight's dinner meal--- a very simple meal known as _Tish's Seaside Chicken Pot Pie_. This very simple yet very tasty meal has a perfect blend of herbs and spices mixed in a very special sauce with diced pieces of tender white chicken meat and an array of vegetables. The ingredients provide a very good source of nutrients perfect for ocean athletes, especially swimmers and surfers."

The surfer boys gasped in surprise to hear the new special and became completely enthusiastic. Kaito nodded with a smile on his face. "Thank you, Rina. I'd like tonight's special then. This _Tish's Seaside Chicken Pot Pie_ thing. The way you described it, even if it's just brief, really made my stomach growl. I'm sick of eating soggy microwave TV dinners, man. I'm not eating another soggy pancake in the morning!"

"Same here!" The rest of the boys answered as Hanon wrote their orders on her invoice pad. Looks like Lucia would be baking more _Tish's Seaside Chicken Pot Pie_ at this point.

"Anything else?" Rina asked before they take their orders to the kitchen crew. The other surfers provided their other requests as Hanon listed them all down. When they were finished the two waitresses took their orders to the kitchen crew.

Once they got to the window and Hanon hung the order slip on the rotating slip hanger, Lucia grabbed the slip and read the order. She blushed and smiled happily knowing it was not just Kaito who wanted the special but the entire table as well.

"At least Kaito ordered the special." Lucia said with motivation. "I'll get to it right away!" She took the slip and showed it to Taki and Maki and began their cooking.

Meanwhile at the table, the surfer boys talked amongst themselves while Kaito remained silent during the usual chatter. His usual heart was not in to the conversation today. In fact, he truly hoped he would see Lucia anywhere at Pearl Waters that night. At the same time he was trying to determine his mixed-up feelings between the mysterious Leolani and Lucia herself. He hoped to look for Leolani's whereabouts at the archives and records floor of the library but instead he found Lucia present at the same place and at the same time. He thought at first that she was there to look for her mysterious love, but Hippo did most of the work, so that thought was immediately ruled out.

He already had high suspicions of who Lucia really was to him and why her appearance or even her single hello would make his heart leap. Such a feeling never happened to him ever since his near death if it were not for the brave rescue by Leolani and her trusted gun board. After a few years of dating almost every pretty girl for one week per girl the sudden leaping of his heart never occurred until this particular time with his first communication with Lucia.

After an almost _special moment _earlier at the library the media--- particularly from the morning radio show _Nijibe Youth Talk Corner_--- had to interrupt his already open book life by asking questions regarding his mysterious _true love _and his candidate to be his tandem surfing partner. Lucia was already there with him and protected her from being identified by these media-savvy people from the nosy talk DJs to the rabid fangirls. He had to make sure that he had backup on his claims whenever the media would ask him that particular question in case these individuals become nosy again.

"Yo, Kaito!" The surfer became startled when he heard Nagisa interrupting his contemplation. "You're quiet tonight, dude. You okay?"

"Alchemy hour, dude," Kaito answered promptly. "Best ride I ever had this afternoon, man..."

"Right..." Gaito interrupted their conversation and invited himself in. "Your so-called _alchemy hour _consists of two things: five percent best ride this afternoon, ninety-five percent Lucia."

"Shut up, G!" Kaito glared towards his older twin brother, who looked like he was in a teasing mood at that time. "I had no choice but to pick Lucia for my tandem surfing partner. It was the only way for me to back my claim up so those nosy media would leave me alone. I don't mind sports media since all they cared about was my surfing and my victories, but the local radio show wanted to barge in through my life!"

Gaito patted his younger twin on the shoulder. "And you made a very heroic deed by shielding Lucia from everyone else to keep her identity a secret. I remember back in the days when you were always seen with a different girl every week and pretty much the entire town knows who that girl was with you and you didn't seem to care."

"Then again," Daichi joined in the conversation, "most of the girls want popularity and attention once they get to hang out with you--- and even date for one week..."

"But Lucia Nanami is special!" Kengo exclaimed happily. "Sure, she's erm... not that exciting to look at but... well... there must be something in her that really turned Kaito on!"

Kaito quickly glared towards Kengo as the goofy surfer hurriedly placed his hands behind his head to prevent anyone from slapping him at the back of his head once more. "Jeez, will you dudes stop talking about her already? So what if I picked her as my tandem surfing partner? Unlike most of the girls I dated in the past she can actually swim and likes the sport itself. If she volunteered right away when those jerks at that crap radio show announced that _leaked _info about me competing in the tandem surfing tournament then obviously she would be another fan girl pretending to be an enthusiast. But she hasn't said anything because she already knew I was looking for a tandem partner way beforehand."

"And she said she will help you look for a partner," Gaito added. "Look what happened--- you weren't able to look for a partner and she wasn't able to help you because you were concentrated on your individual surfing and she was concentrated on her band rehearsals with OC-5 for the surf bands contest. Neither of you had the time to actually look for the perfect tandem surfing partner for you and after the little pressure you had from those DJ people and those fan girls you immediately picked Lucia for your partner."

Masahiro cleared his throat to get everyone's attention at the table and provided his opinion. "Well, we all know that as a general rule that in order for you to learn how to surf successfully, you need to know how to swim. Most of the chicks I see at the beach just wade around the shore, splashing water at each other like a bunch of giggly airheads, and most of all, showing up with the kinkiest pair of bikinis to get dudes to look and drool at them. Personally, I think I've seen too many for the last seven years of my whole life."

"And Lucia Nanami," Nagisa added along, "shows up at the beach not wearing any form of swimsuit. I mean, would be nice if she'd be wearing a tankini and boyshorts and she'd still look hot in it!"

Daichi raised an eyebrow in suspicion towards Nagisa. "Wait... how'd you know the anatomy of a girl's swimsuit style, Nagisa? Have you been reading too much _Cawaii! _magazines again? You naughty kid you!"

Nagisa glared towards Daichi and gave his response: "You idiot! I kept getting distracted by that dumb magazine because you and Kengo kept staring at them every time we're resting at the beach!" Right then Masahiro and the Doumoto Twins snickered at the other two.

"Besides," Kaito began his statement. "After getting to know Lucia Nanami more, it's very unlikely you'll see her wear those types of clothes you see in that stupid magazine. She has her own style that makes her likable."

"You mean, Kaito," Gaito attempted to refrain from bursting in to laughter but continued on, "Lucia Nanami has her own style that turns you on."

"Shut up, G. I'm not kidding about that!" Kaito retorted in annoyance.

"Which one, Kaito? The part where Lucia's own style makes her likable or the part where Lucia's own style turns you on?" Kengo joined in the teasing with the older twin. He forgot about protecting his head's back that Kaito immediately slapped him on the head again. "OW! Dammit, Kaito!"

"Next time, be sure you cover your head with your hands before you start messing with me, Kengo." Kaito snickered, feeling victory at this very short period. Slowly he lowered his head and murmured softly. "Then again... her style sorta... well... a little... just a little bit..."

"Just a little bit, he says." Masahiro whispered softly, smirking at the same time.

"Okay already, jeez!" Kaito exclaimed in irritation, making the rest of the table fall silent. "Lucia is my tandem surfing partner! There's nothing else you all can do about it--- except making fun of me for it!"

Gaito answered after a few moments of silence. "I apologize, dear brother. I ended up teasing you because I'm really happy for you, you know?"

"I'm not exactly sure what the hell do you mean by that, G."

"I'm saying I'm happy for you because you're finally opening up and dare to be _different_ from majority of the dumbass surfer dudes all around the region where they only go for airhead _bunnies_, like Hamasaki mentioned earlier. About time you're finally settling down with a nice girl of your own---"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! G! Just because I picked Lucia to be my tandem surfing partner, that doesn't mean I'm in love with her. I have a good relationship with her as friends, enough for us to trust each other. I know what I said before about tandem surfing, but I never said that you and your partner have to be in love with each other for you to be a good tandem surfing team."

Gaito gave a slight disappointed look but quickly changed his reaction. "Oh well. At least you already accomplished your part of the assembly. We can finally submit our entry to the officials. By the way, whatever happened to the ideal name change?"

"Um... haven't really focusing on that too..." Kaito answered with a slight trembling voice and a humble smile with it.

"How about _The Surf Coasters_? We're surfers and we coast around beach at times to look for the wildest surf around!" Nagisa provided a suggestion. "It sounds cooler than _Rainbowside_, you know?"

Kaito shook his head. "Kid, we don't want to get sued for stealing a very well-known name in this country, so no."

"How about..." The rest of the surfers began to contemplate of a new name that would represent them at the tournament. Moments later none of them were able to come up with a good name.

"We'll get to that later." Gaito snickered and spotted Rina and Hanon arriving with two trays of dishes and drinks ready for their dinner. "Wow, this is awesome! Thanks, ladies!"

"Always welcome!" Hanon winked and served the chicken pot pies and the drinks to the boys. After she was done, Rina placed a rather larger-sized chicken pot pie compared to the rest of the table. The boys moaned at the size knowing this particular one belonged to Kaito.

"And here is yours, Kaito." Rina grinned and placed the larger-sized chicken pot pie and his drink at Kaito's spot. At the corner of Kaito's large plate was a small folded note. "Hope you enjoy because a certain someone is counting on it!"

Kaito first unfolded the note at the corner and read what was written to himself as Rina and Hanon left to wait at other tables:

_To My Awesome Dominating Tandem Surfing Partner named Kaito Doumoto -_

_Thank you for choosing me as your tandem surfing partner! I'm not really counting on it or anything but you know you could trust me with whatever help you need. I know I'm not a surfer and it will take me awhile to get used to those air lifts, let alone riding on a board with a second person, but I'm a fast learner. You'll see! As my small thank you, I baked you this. This is a major favorite of mine. My late mother made up the recipe when I was a kid--- or maybe before that. She called it "Tish's Seaside Chicken Pot Pie." It's also a big hit here at Pearl Waters but you get the larger size for free, courtesy of me! ^_^;_

_Let me know what you think of the pie. If there's something you don't like about it, please tell me honestly. In that way I can improve and perfect this pie for our future menu._

_Well, gotta head back to cooking some more at the kitchen! Hope to see you later after closing hours or something. I know you want to talk about a lot of stuff about tandem surfing, strategies and all that. I'm ready to listen and willing to learn._

_From Your Noob Kook Tandem Surfing Partner named Lucia Nanami_

Kaito laughed at Lucia's short note and folded the note to himself. There was a postscript at the end of the note but decided to read it later. _Let's see how your chicken pot pie tastes like, Lucia..._

"Dude, how come you got a larger-sized chicken pot pie, man!" Kengo gave a complaint while he stared at his regular-sized chicken pot pie.

"Because it's Lucia's _thank you _gift to me for choosing her to be my partner." Kaito said with a grin on his face. "She had a little note with it, so yeah. She knows I'm special." He continued the grin and winked at the same time. He took a fork and knife and began to feast on the pie.

"Hey, this is really good!" Daichi chuckled after he made his first bite.

"That's because it's _real _food, Daichi," Kengo frowned as he sliced his first piece. "No longer will we starve from soggy and gross frozen TV dinners, man!"

"Daichi's right." Gaito agreed with Daichi's first impression of the pie. "This is delicious!"

Masahiro and Nagisa gave their two thumbs up at the pie as Kengo ate his first piece. "Dude! No way! This chicken pie rules!"

Kaito saw the expression on his dudes' expression, which can only mean one thing. He ate his first piece of the pie. The first thing he noticed was the very distinctive, flavorful taste of the sauce and seasoning blend that provided a stronger flavor for the rest of the ingredients, most notably the chicken. "Whoa! This _is _good! Hell yeah, now this is real dinner!"

The entire table feasted delightfully at their dinner. Kaito, on the other hand, could not help himself but smile and enjoy the chicken pot pie. _You're perfect, Lucia... No wait--- I mean the pie is perfect! Yeah--- the PIE is perfect!_ He shook his head right then and continued to eat his pie. While eating he had another thought in this mind. _I wonder if you're planning to make me lunch one day--- like how Misao Koshiki made that huge, tempting lunch basket for Subaru earlier at the library today..._

In the meantime, Rina and Hanon arrived at the kitchen window to post up more of their order slips while Lucia passed on more dishes for them to serve to the customers. While the three were doing their tasks, they also exchanged brief chatter.

"Seriously Lucia, I now have confidence that victory is yours." Hanon began the chat.

"What are you talking about?" Lucia asked curiously while placing the dishes on to their trays.

"I think you've completely won Kaito's heart!" Hanon giggled cheerfully. "I know what you're gonna say about all those technical surfing reasons but just watching from where I'm standing Kaito's really enjoying your chicken pot pie!"

"Oh I'm happy!" Lucia gave a huge smile while blushing at the same time. "Though it's actually my mom's chicken pot pie."

"Still!" Rina laughed. "You baked it for him. You even made the size larger than the rest of the dudes over there. I'm pretty sure he'll get the hint right then!"

Lucia gave a smaller smile as her reaction and sighed deeply. "What if Kaito freaks out if he finds out that the reason why I made his bigger isn't just because I wanted to thank him for picking me for his tandem surfing partner but because of...?"

Hanon shook her head as she took her tray from the counter. "Lucia, seriously girl, one of these days you need to be more positive about things. Sure, sometimes you and Kaito get in to minor squabbles, but you guys always work things out. And in all honesty, Kaito doesn't get really angry that easy either. You haven't exactly annoyed him yet." She leaned over the counter and whispered softly: "In fact, I'll let you in on a little secret. Kaito was looking for you before Rina took their orders!"

Lucia blushed and placed her hands over her cheeks. "He... he was looking for me?"

"Hell yeah, Lucia!" Rina winked with a smile on her face. "He looked kinda sad when he saw us but you weren't present anywhere at the dining area." She slowly took her tray from the counter as they were ready to head out to serve the dishes. "Well, we better get these to the customers now. There are hungry mouths to feed today!"

The three friends headed back to their usual tasks with Lucia feeling nervous right at that moment. _Kaito... was looking for me? He doesn't usually expect me to be around... but... why?_

Lucia turned around and headed back to the hot iron grill panel and continued to grill various kinds of meat, seafood, and vegetables. There were no more chicken pot pie orders and decided to work on the grill. Just as she concentrated on the food she was grilling she began to come up with more thoughts. _Oh no... what if Kaito figured out my real feelings for him? I mean, I even wrote him a Thank You note! What if he gets all freaked out with me and then he'll dump me for his partner and look for another one? I'm going to lose him forever if that's gonna happen. Oh, what am I to do now...?_

As she continued to feel more panic within, her nose detected a smoky smell as if something was burning. She sniffed her nose a little, wondering what the smell was coming from when her aunt startled her from behind.

"Lucia! Pay attention! Your meats are burning!" Taki exclaimed, pointing her finger towards the grill in front of her.

"Ah!" Lucia shrieked in shock and began to flip the burned meat over. "Oh no..."

Maki chuckled as he brought out two more bowls of marinated chicken and meat to replace the burned ones. "It's still too early for you to sleep and dream the night away, Lucia! Good thing our grill's top of the line and can cook meat that fast. Pay attention next time, alright?"

"Oh man..." Lucia lowered her head in shame and quickly replaced the burned meat with fresh new ones at the grill.

It was business as usual at Pearl Waters that night. Taro was managing the dining area while Nicola did more paperwork at her office. Rihito remained at the rehearsal room still composing a few more songs for the band to play for the surf bands contest. Hippo excused himself to do more _personal research_ on his family's history and their relevant connections to the legendary surfer girl Cole Seahart and the _Dainami-Oni _incident that killed his parents and the two popular tandem surfing couples that ended the hot tandem surfing scene in Nijibe. He had what he was looking for thanks to Misao Koshiki of the archives and records department of the public library. He even locked the door to be sure no one, especially Nicola, would just barge through the door and interrupt his secluded research.

Hippo turned to the large cardboard box with a label on it. The label included the following information: Hippo's full name, the library name, the date these archives and records were retrieved, and the code numbers of the files these particular items were retrieved from. The strangest detail Hippo mentioned while Misao dug up these archived items that anything and everything related to both Cole Seahart and the _Dainami-Oni_ only came from two particular archived files: the _Nanami Family Archives _and the _Doumoto Family Archives_.

_This is really weird... why are all of the most secret archived items stored under both my family archives and the Doumoto Twins' family archives? Don't tell me the Doumotos have a strong connection to Cole Seahart and the Dainami-Oni incident too..._

With his handy Swiss knife, Hippo sliced through the cellophane tape that sealed the box so he can uncover the items Misao dug up for him. Once he opened the box, he was surprised to see two notebooks, one red and one blue, and two friendship bracelets cased in small boxes: one white and shades of red, the other white and shades of blue. Hippo became more intrigued and aimed for the notebooks first. He picked the red notebook first.

The notebook was secured with a decorative garter band, which Hippo easily removed. He opened the cover and saw the following handwritten information at the first page:

_You have stumbled upon..._

_THE RAINBOWSIDE TANDEM SURF COUPLE #1:  
Tack and Tish Seahart_

_WARNING NOTES:  
**DO NOT **flip this page forward if you are NOT any one of the following..._

_Cole, Leolani, Gen and Kim Doe, the Doe Twins,  
Deadhead and Tick-Tock, Sea-Moon, or T-Mack_

_If you happen to see this journal, please give it to our son...  
Hippo Seahart_

"What the... _Hippo Seahart_?" Hippo's eyes widened in shock to see this particular name. _That's just weird... there's another 'Hippo' here in Nijibe?_ He paused at first, thinking what would happen if he did flip the page. On the other hand, most probably many of these individuals were no longer present, therefore it would not hurt for him to flip the page. After a few seconds of contemplation, Hippo flipped the page and began reading the first page.

_**05.09**_

_Dearest Hippo,_

_Guess what! I already got you a surf nick and you still haven't existed yet! That is, as of the date and time I'm writing this first entry in this journal log._

_I already have high beliefs that you're going to be a boy once you break free from me 7 months later. Why? Because your Auntie Tick-Tock said so! She did this crazy tarot reading about me not too long ago and she predicted that you're going to be a HE. Your Dad thinks you're going to be another girl, but despite that you already have two big sisters, little Cole and little Leolani, we both hope and pray that you will be born a boy..._

Hippo's widened with a peculiar feeling and skipped the entire entry and skimmed some more. The first pages were not as relevant as he thought they were until he found an entry with a different handwriting:

_**09.17**_

_How's it going, little man? By the time I'm writing this, you just had your 2-year-old birthday. Happy Birthday, Hippo!_

Hippo quickly lifted his head from the notebook with a slight frown on his face. _Why is it that every single entry written in here has my name--- or rather the name Hippo--- in them? The Seaharts have a son with a surf nick called Hippo. Coincidence? Then again, 'Hippo' is a surf nick too, at least that's what Aunt Taki and Maki told me before..._

He turned back to the notebook and continued to read:

_Today at the S-Cube, the entire Rainbowside seriously experienced the biggest swell for the past ten years, or so the rest of the tribe say. Everyone thought this particular swell was the real deal of all the real deal surf we've experienced here at the Nijibe beaches. If a swell this huge as this were to occur here at the S-Cube, so can the public beaches, most notably the Sector 7 Beach, across from our house. Out at the surf were just the four of us--- your mother and me and the Does._

_Things were seriously perfect, dude. The day itself, the sun, the atmosphere, the coastline, and the surf were seriously hypnotic. We had just seen the most incredible, clean, and glassy set we've seen ever! It was the biggest call for the entire Rainbowside and we were already paddling out to the ocean to stake claim of our waves. Today after we celebrate your birthday it was also another training session for the "junior" tandem couple of the Rainbowside--- Gen and Kim Doe (NOTE – NOT their real names!)._

_You know, it's true with what surf experts say about tandem surfing couples. Many of these couples do end up falling in love and get married. Though that wasn't the case with your mother and I, it was definitely the case for Gen and Kim Doe. They were childhood sweethearts since they were 5-years-old! Don't you think that's crazy? I guess true love can be found in all places with all people no matter what age they may be. Your mom and I were really happy to see those two grow up and their love for each other just grew stronger and stronger._

_They struck luck when they ended up having twin boys for their first children. Kim wanted a daughter and hoped that one day they will bear a girl once they win their first championship trophy at a major tandem surfing competition, which for me will take awhile. In our case we are very satisfied with our family once you came to our lives..._

As Hippo continued to read more of the excerpts, somehow something touched his heart that somehow bore a tear at one of his eyes. He quickly wiped it as he flipped the pages and read more of the excerpts. After Tack Seahart ended his first series of excerpts the next few entries were written by his wife, Tish Seahart.

_**03.15**_

_Dearest Hippo,  
By the time I am writing this entry, you're just some months away until you turn 4-years-old, so just in case, Happy (Advanced) Birthday, Hippo!_

_I wonder if Cole would ever tell you some secrets she would never tell us? She had been acting strange as of late and I just couldn't figure out why. Was there a boy she met and was already experiencing her first heartbreak? That shouldn't happen. She should have her first love, even if it may not probably last long. But she's becoming a major top-notch surfer girl, Hippo! Seriously, I hope and pray that when Cole gets older that she would be the first female crewmaster of the Rainbowside. Your dad and I are seriously counting on her for that to happen and even if he and I are no longer around by the time that happens at least we knew that our hopes were fulfilled._

_But moments ago, Cole was happy and giggling when she began talking about little Leolani! At such a young age and she was already interested in boys. Cole said she wanted to be friends with one of the Doe Twins. I don't understand why Gen and Kim Doe would give their twins surf nicks that were hard to pronounce! But you know what I learned though? Both the twins' surf nicks begin with "Kai" and their real names also begin with "Kai" (although the older one was "Gai", they pretty much have the same meaning). In both Japanese and Hawaiian, "Kai" means ocean or sea. Their names really made them worthy since the Does had been teaching the twins how to surf._

_Auntie Tick-Tock made another tarot reading for me. She said that your future will not be of a surfer, but the one who will tell the entire world stories of surfing, most especially our dedicated surfers of the Rainbowside. I don't know how you're going to tell the entire world these stories of surfing, but I would like to let you know that your dad and I will always support you no matter what interest you may end up with. Not all surfers' children become surfers and we don't expect you to be one, just because we're surfers and your big sister Cole is also a surfer, so don't feel pressured whenever you hear our names out in the open._

Hippo gulped nervously once he realized that his surf and ocean photography hobby was pretty much a form of telling the entire world stories of surfing, most especially the dedicated surfers of the Rainbowside. He was beginning to feel that this mysterious _Auntie Tick-Tock _was none other than the aunt herself: Auntie Taki Nanami. He also figured the Seaharts but decided to read more.

After he went through more pages up until he reached the last few pages he found a very short entry with yet another ironic date...

_**08.28**_

_To our beloved son,_

_The mighty "kai" called to us and threw a challenge. Right then and in our minds we already knew what type of challenge that was going to be. There aren't too many pages left in this journal, so this may possibly be the last entry that we're going to write to you. Once we are finished with this journal notebook we will bury this at the sands of the S-Cube Chamber, just underneath the names of all the Rainbowside surfers since its foundation. We have trust in Cole to bring you and Leolani to the S-Cube Chamber because we want you and Leolani to read this journal. Why? Because we want you to tell the entire world our story so the sport of tandem surfing continues to stay alive._

_The live surf forecasts on the radio warned the entire surfing community of Nijibe to postpone the tandem surfing championships tomorrow because of the forecast. That particular forecast was something you may have heard already. You guessed it--- "the giant wave demon," or in short, Dainami-Oni._

_Tomorrow is another prediction that the Dainami-Oni will be rolling in to our shores and ruin the fun-filled sunny summer day. Your mother and I, as well as our close friends, Gen and Kim Doe, had gone through long hours of discussion regarding our decision to compete tomorrow or not. Though it was wise to listen to the surf forecasts, we were deep heart-filled surfers. What do you think we were going to say to that?_

_That's right. We decided to take the Dainami-Oni challenge. Your mother and I, as well as Gen and Kim Doe, will compete and take on the Dainami-Oni. It wasn't just us who would be facing the Dainami-Oni. It's also possible that Cole will also be facing the Dainami-Oni during the girls' surfing championships. Hopefully things will be the better after tomorrow and hopefully we can have a Seahart sweep and go down in surfing history. The Does were doing the same too, except they were doing it to boost the reputation of their twin sons. Aunt Tick-Tock also made a prediction regarding the Doe Twins. Both of them will be very skilled and very recognized surfers, but only one of them will be the champion. We wonder who it'll be—- older twin Kainehe or younger twin Kaikane?_

_While the two of us are away taking on the Dainami-Oni, you are officially the man of the Seahart Clan. Take care of both Cole and Leolani should anything happen to us. Be sure both Cole and Leolani grow up to be happy and find their true love._

_There is also a secret that I want to share with you and this is important. The four of us discussed about a possible "arranged marriage," even if we personally don't like arranged marriages in general. We thought about Leolani and one of the twin boys. After hearing Cole's stories about Leolani's lovey-dovey behavior at one of the twins we thought we would make her happy by having her play with one of the boys so that when they grow up their feelings will change from friendship and may blossom in to true love._

_We both know it's crazy to ask our youngest son who's barely 3-years-old. However, Aunt Tick-Tock's tarot prediction was read that you will find this journal at around the age of 11 or 12--- most probably 12-years-old..._

Hippo's eyes opened wide in shock as he felt his heart beating fast. He saw himself being lost regarding the true identities of the Seaharts and their connection to their family. He was beginning to think that the Seaharts' youngest son "Hippo" and himself may be one in the same. He determined that because the entire journal brought a few tears on his eye as he went through. He quickly flipped the pages to see where the last entry was going to be. He found the passage that reached all the way towards the last page of the notebook:

_I can see Cole carrying over Pearl Waters when she decides to retire. We do hope she lasts long in surfing, whether riding the wild surf or teaching others how to ride the wild surf._

_Leolani will definitely win the heart of a Doe Twin when she gets of age. The only problem now was which one..._

_But you, on the other hand, you have a special duty to serve the surfing community and the surfing enthusiasts all around the world. Show the world our story and show everyone our story in your own unique, sincere way._

_Please keep in mind that we'll always love you, Hippo--- you, Cole, and Leolani. Whether we're right next to you or whenever we're out somewhere for a tournament, your thoughts will always be with us._

_Lots of Love,_

_Mom and Dad_

Hippo closed the journal, still looking rather confused. "Then this journal... I was meant to find this journal... my task to tell the world their story? What the heck am I going to tell the world about them? How am I going to tell them? And... why would they want me to pass on their story to others?"

He placed the red notebook at the side and reached out for the second notebook. Just as when he opened the front cover, a disc slipped down and the top portion landed on to Hippo's lap. Using the plastic ring at the center he picked it up and read the label in legible handwriting.

_**The Annual Regional Surfing Tournament – Tandem Surfing Championships**_

_The Pacific Heart and The Blue Crush_

As Hippo read the label he saw the date right below it. It was dated seven years ago. Right when he saw the date he dashed to his laptop, ready to pop in the disc in to his drive. He had a feeling that this was a video taken at the day the _Dainami-Oni _incident occurred.

The media player automatically turned on his laptop and the disc began to play. The first thing he watched on the clip was a few random shots and clips of a young Nicola posing by a huge rock structure while the ocean currents clashed against the rocks, splashing here and there. Just by the way she wore her hair, the way she smiled, and the way she giggled at the camera he already knew that was indeed Nicola. To him, she had not changed a bit, maybe except she was rarely seen smiling by anyone coming by Pearl Waters today.

After the small scene, Nicola was at the camera now, speaking. _"Yo Rainbowside! Today, we're at the S-Cube cave with the senior surfers--- well, my parents and the Does and all the other tandem surf couples in the tribe that is--- having their little meditation prayer thing, giving each other blessings that they may have a safe and successful ride at the championships tomorrow, 'cause from what I heard, there's going to be __massive-sized swell coming in, probably as high as sixty-five feet! What was it that they called it? Dynamo... um...?"_

"_It's Dainami-Oni, Cole. Get it right!_" The male voice who spoke from behind the camera was none other than the young Taro Mitsuki. Though his voice was deeper now as an adult, the way he spoke truly sounded like his musically-minded cousin.

Quickly he paused the video when he caught Taro calling Nicola with a different name. He rewound the video again to the part where young Taro said _"It's Dainami-Oni, Cole. Get it right!"_ and repeated the small scene.

_Cole Seahart... so you really are Cole Seahart, Nicola... that's why you forbade everyone at Pearl Waters to mention her name. People would be talking about you. But even if that was the case, I still want to know why you don't want others to talk about yourself to everyone else when the entire town knows you are a true legend!_

As Hippo was about to continue with the video he heard a voice calling out to him through the doors. Once he recognized the voice he quickly closed his laptop and cleared all the things from his bed and back in the cargo box. Right at his closet he hid the cargo box inside.

"Hippo, are you busy?"

"Uh, what's up, Nicola?" Hippo gulped nervously and ran to the door and opened it. "Nicola! You look tired... um... need any help downstairs?"

"Well, Rihito is still at the rehearsal room and I just happened to pass by there when I overhead a little sibling argument between him and his sister Michal. I know siblings argue from time to time but Michal was just in rage!"

Hippo closed the door behind him. "Well, we can't really eavesdrop about that..."

"Well anyway. Rihito needs your help. It's got something to do with some of his song compositions or something."

"Oh! Alright. Thanks, Nicola!" The two siblings climb down to the second floor with Hippo's suspicious eyes stared right at her older sister.

… _Or should I just call you 'Cole'...?_

It was almost near midnight and the night shift staff of Pearl Waters were at the dining area cleaning up the mess from sweeping the floor to wiping the tables. The kitchen crew were finished cleaning up and kept a few of their favorite untouched surplus from their cooking covered and placed in the fridge for dinner tomorrow. Lucia decided to give aid to the waitresses cleaning up the dining area in hopes that she would still catch Kaito at the dining area. Once she revealed herself, apron and all, at the dining area there were no one else present except for the Pearl Waters staff.

"Aw..." Lucia moaned sadly once she did not see any of the Rainbowside surfers present. "I was hoping I would get to catch Kaito before we close Pearl Waters. I guess he got tired waiting for me..."

Hanon patted Lucia on the shoulder after she swept a part of the floor with a smile on her face. "Nah. I think he probably went home really quick so he can get himself a lot hotter than he was earlier... and he'll come back for you!"

Lucia slightly frowned. "He didn't have to make himself look... _hot_... I don't care about all that! I just want to see him since you guys said that he was looking for me... and all..." She lowered her head with a sigh, holding tight on her broom.

Just as she was about to start sweeping the floor they hear a knock on the entrance door. Rina went to the door to see who was outside. She stuck her head through the door opening to see who it was, then brought it back inside and turned to Lucia. "Lucia... someone here to see you!" Along with that statement she gave a wink.

"Oh?" Lucia blinked curiously as Hanon took her broom and gently pushed her on her back. "W-wait!"

"Oh come on, Lucia... you don't want to make that someone special wait longer for you now, are you?"

"But..."

"Just go! I'll sweep your side of the floor!" Hanon giggled and continued to push Lucia forward towards the door. Lucia knew there was nothing to stop Hanon when it comes to somewhat embarrassing yet blissful moments such as this. She admitted defeat and headed for the door. On her way, Rina headed to her and gave her a pat on the shoulder.

"This is it, Lucia. Here's your moment!"

Lucia gave a faint smile and made her way to the door. She exited Pearl Waters and found the particular boy she wanted to see standing right in front of her. He appeared on a collared dark blue Hawaiian shirt with his buttons slightly open, showing off a bit of his manly chest. "Kaito! I thought you went home already..."

Kaito gave a faint smile and shook his head. "I wanted to see you before I head home, Lucia."

"Aw... I feel so honored even more..." Lucia blushed and smiled as her answer. "I always get all happy whenever I spot the dudes together at a place nearby. It just means that you're nearby..."

"Lucia, forget about the dudes!" Kaito chuckled and then cleared his throat. "Are you busy?"

Lucia shook her head. "I was going to sweep the floors at the dining area but the waitresses gave me a break again after Rina told everyone you're here."

"Whoa..." Kaito continued to laugh. "Those waitresses gave you a break, just because of me? That's quite generous of them!"

"They're weird... but weirdness can make a world colorful, you know?" Lucia joined the laughter, trying not to embarrass herself or her fellow waitresses.

"Well, since you're not busy anymore... wanna have a walk at the beach with me?"

"Wow, would I?" Lucia cheered happily as Kaito offered his left arm to her, which made the young girl aware at what may happen. "Wait... Kaito, are you... offering me your arm?"

"You tripped several times at the beach in the past, Lucia, so if you stick with me, you won't fall."

_Wow... if I hooked my arm around his then it'd feel like... we're a couple... _Lucia could not help but to smile unconsciously while turned her eyes directly at Kaito. She was tempted to jump with joy, even if it was just an arm around another arm, but at the same time she had to stay calm and not be too conspicuous. "Well, if you say so... I'll take your word for it."

Moments later, walking barefoot with their shoes on their hands, Lucia had her arm locked around Kaito's while he had his hand in his pocket. Just as always they talked about the tournament, from who among the world's top surfers would be competing, what type of events, basic rules and regulations, and of course, tandem surfing. Afterwards they spoke about their families regarding their parents. It was at that time that Kaito became curious about what she and Hippo were looking for in the archives and records at the library earlier today.

"Hippo was anxious about our family's connection to the Seaharts. Well, I am too, sorta. I have heard of the name Cole Seahart but for some reason, all this time, I just couldn't remember a thing. But after I had a little meet with Hippo earlier before I began working at the kitchen for the night shift we did discover a few things. And you know what's weird? Part of the source that Hippo stumbled upon about our family connections to the Seaharts also ended up in your family's archives too."

Kaito's eyes widened in a startle and turned to Lucia. "What... _my _family records? What's my family got to do with yours? I do know that our family are very close to the Seaharts. My parents were close friends with Tack and Tish Seahart, you know, Cole's parents. Gaito and I were one of the big Cole Seahart fans back then. I mean, if my family has some connection to your family, then why is it that you and I have never met in the past?"

_But Kaito... we have... you're Kaikane! I know I'm probably delusional right now but my heart still kept telling me that you and my Kaikane are one in the same! And you called me Leolani... maybe Leolani was my second name or something... but the way you mention that name and the way you looked at me... Can't you see me as the girl you've always thought about? _Lucia sighed, keeping herself calm before she burst in to tears again, and lowered her head.

"I... I don't know... maybe we did meet at one point... but you know, everyone was friends with other people and... you know how it goes. But... but I do think... I have seen you. That is to say... there's this boy I always dreamed of since I can remember. He looked somewhat like you, but he was always looking away. He was looking away to somewhere else... or even another girl. It was always the same pose he had whenever I have dreams about him. It's like... he would rather be with someone else better and not to do anything with me..."

Kaito walked in front of Lucia, facing her, and placed his hands on to her shoulder. Just by the touch Lucia's heartbeat began to run rapidly again. "Hey, don't say that, Lucia. Who wouldn't want to get to know you like that? Hell if that dude was really like that then he's obviously a heartless prick. I know you'll find someone who'd appreciate you for who you are."

_What about you, Kaito? I always wondered what you think of me. I know we get along so well, even if we do petty arguments here and there, but other than that... _

Lucia fell silent, thinking of what to respond to him. As they continued walking by the shore they found another rock formation where they can sit and rest at. For both, this looked too familiar from the first time they walked together at the beach just to talk, get to know each other, do strange things such as making up songs about the moon, just hanging out, or what some surfers say, just kicking it. They climbed up the stone structure again and found another flat surface where they can sit. Once again, the surfer boy was prepared with his usual backpack. Out came a beach blanket they used to sit on it.

"Kaito... have we been on this rock thing before...?" Lucia forgot her worries and giggled softly at this familiar scene.

"Oh hell, all rocks look the same to me!" Kaito shrugged while Lucia continued to giggle softly. Few seconds later, Kaito grinned, knowing he succeeded in making Lucia laugh at this somewhat critical moment.

Lucia's laughter faded and turned to the sea once more with a slight breeze blowing through her hair. "Remember the first time we hung out together at the beach like this?"

Kaito chuckled softly and answered while lying down on the beach blanket. "How the hell could I forget? That _Surfer Moon _song was still in my mind... and we haven't even finished it."

"Yeah." Lucia gave a faint smile and turned her head at Kaito, now lying down on his back. "But I have to admit... that song was pretty good. I mean, it's an appreciation song, somewhat. And of course, it's about the effects of the moon!"

"Too bad there's no full moon tonight." Kaito made his statement while staring up the clear, starry sky as well as the rather small white ball of light known as the moon. "Oh well, at least the moon never left. No more moon songs to sing."

"Silly!" Lucia giggled. "You want to make up another song?"

Kaito slightly shook him head but had a smile on his face. "You know, Lucia, you're like my rescuer."

"Hm? Rescuer?"

"I don't know how to explain it. It's like... whenever I'm with you... Your antics helped me remember the things I used to love when I was younger. Like the singing about random stuff and all... I was a composer when my parents taught me all about music. Maybe I would've been like your cousin Taro or Rihito even... I would have been more of a nerdy musician than a hotdoggin' surfer dude if it weren't for..."

_That's right... _Lucia thought to herself while listening to Kaito's statement. _His parents died... The same year my parents died... He changed a lot ever since their deaths. But I always wondered if I changed too ever since Mom and Dad died._

"Kaito? I know this is kinda sudden to ask but... do you miss your parents? I mean... do you sometimes think of them from time to time?"

The young surfer boy got up from his spot and sat up next to Lucia. "I do. I may not look like it but I do--- everyday."

"Everyday?"

"Yeah. When I'm out riding my surf, they always come in my mind. Hell I was depressed when the sea decided to take them from us, but thanks to Gaito I got over my melancholy. My parents are like my guardian angels when I'm out there. When you're out there, you feel like you're not alone. The surf you're riding is having a duel with you. You want to conquer that surf and the surf wants to wipe you out in defeat. But when you're out there you've got your guardian angels with you, and when you felt the power to conquer your surf, there's music that only you can hear--- right here." He placed his fist on to his heart as he explained the real feeling of a surfer riding his wave.

Lucia found his explanation helpful for tandem surfing. Sure, she had never surfed before ever in her life but at the same time she can't feel nervous when she rides that wave with Kaito next to her. She was already nervous with just being with Kaito itself, but at the moment, she felt that she was getting used to being with him.

"Then that would mean that I'll feel safe when I'm out there riding the surf... because I'm not alone."

"That's right." Kaito smiled and slowly scooted herself closer to her. "What about you, Lucia? Do you think about your folks?"

"Nicola takes good care of us; Hippo and me. But sometimes I think she's also lonely at the same time. I remember her being the happiest, carefree girl ever when I was little. She was always so cheerful, so happy, and so hyped at anything that she can seriously make people smile anytime. I miss that old Nicola. My parents taught me music too, mostly singing. They loved the ocean as if they ruled it. Nicola said one time that they were the King and Queen of Sector 7 Beach at one point because they lived across it."

Kaito nodded in acknowledgement. "Guess you and I were both raised under the same influence, huh?" He chuckled nervously after that statement while Lucia joined in the laughter. Few moments later, silence fell.

Both were contemplating what they were going to say next or what subject they can talk about at this point. Deep in their minds and hearts, however, both are still anticipating that their first loves they lost when they were at their young age may be each other. The only problem was which one of the two will mention about the dream they coincidentally had together, not to mention the names of those mysterious lost loves.

During the silence, Kaito noticed Lucia's expression on her face while she stared out at the ocean. Sure, there was no full moon tonight for them to sing their _Surfer Moon _song, but the night at the ocean itself was still hypnotic even without the moon. Her heart still pined for Kaito, still making herself sure that he was the young boy Kaikane, whom she rescued and fell in love with for the first time. Just looking at the expression somehow made him feel the same way without even realizing it at that point, except it was more of an answer to that particular expression. When he found her happy, it made him smile. When he found her angry, he would either confront her or ignore her until she was cool enough to talk. When she was sad and melancholic, he felt tempted to just take her in his arms, letting her cry on his shoulder, and simply keep her safe, knowing she was not alone. At the same time though, he did not want to scare her at the same time. He already confirmed to himself that if Lucia ended up hating him and would not want to deal with him anymore he knew he would be heartbroken. Why, he would ask to himself at times. The answer was simple. Lucia was the first girl who cared more about himself and the things he loved rather than doing anything to get his attention or attract him to her regardless of what he thought of her. He felt a lot more free when he was with her and felt that he can talk to her about anything he wanted. Even if they were not much interest to her, he knew he would still listen.

"Lucia?" Kaito called for her while she continued to display her melancholic expression while watching the ocean rolling in and out.

She turned her head once she heard him call her name. "Oh! Sorry about that, Kaito. I... I was just thinking... that's all."

"Are you okay? You don't look too happy right now..."

She gulped nervously, feeling as if he was on to her right at that point. She thought it was too early to confess how she truly felt for him, though they had been speaking to each other for three weeks in to the summer season. She began to think about the concept of a summer love. Sure, she would love to have Kaito for her summer love, but when they head back to school, what then? Would they go back to their usual selves in school where she and Kaito never spoke to each other and that she would continue to swoon and admire him from afar while Hanon continued to pester her for it?

"I... I don't know how to say this, Kaito..." Lucia bit her lip to keep herself from getting her eyes watery. "It's just... I can't stop thinking about... well... I..."

"Was it about that dream that you dreamed when you fell asleep at the library?"

"I know it's nothing and it's only a dream but how could you dream the same exact dream that I was when..." She stopped herself at that point and tightened her fist. "I can't... I can't... do this..."

Kaito shook his head and turned his head slightly away. "You're still trippin' about that dream? It's only a dream, Lucia. Not like it's for real or anything..."

"But Kaito, it is real!" Lucia exclaimed from out of the blue and immediately closed her mouth.

"Real...?" Kaito raised an eyebrow of suspicion. "You mean the dream?"

"It's real, Kaito!" Before she knew the same mistake was going to happen again she gave herself in to her runaway emotions. "It's... it's real... it wasn't just a dream, it was a past memory I had when I was little. It was the time I met him... he was my first love..." Right then she could not hold herself much longer that tears appeared on her eyes and one trickled down her cheek.

"Hey Lucia..." Kaito attempted to reach for her when Lucia shook her head and continued to ramble on.

"He's the reason why I couldn't stop singing! I was always horrible at singing when I was little until I met him that night... He was singing his sadness away and somehow his song really touched me... so much that I wanted to sing along with him. When he disappeared from me the day after somehow the night we first met and the night we stayed together to be safe inspired me to sing. It was like magic when all the people I'm close with who know how horrible my singing was became startled when they heard me sing again afterwards. I guess I thought... I thought if I kept on singing that he would hear me and find me. It was the only way for me to find him, but..."

Just as Lucia trailed off she felt arms around her waist and began to feel warmth behind her. She turned her head to her left to see Kaito's face leaning over her shoulder, also a few inches to each other's lips. She felt a jolt within her and her heart began to beat faster. "Kaito... what are you..."

"You still owe me a song, girl." Kaito spoke with a grin on his face. "When are you going to sing me a song, Lucia? It's been three weeks and you've been torturing me by not singing!"

"Torturing?" Lucia's eyes widened in shock and found herself completely stunned at her position. "Kaito... I... I do have a song for you... it's just that I'm... waiting for... the perfect time to sing it..."

"Perfect time?" Kaito slowly released her as they sat back to their original spots again. "What would that _perfect time _be?"

"Kaito, you're so mean... you really want answers to everything, do you?"

"_Perfect time_, eh? Now you really are making me feel tortured! I wonder if that _perfect time _would be the time that you and I are doing _a bit of somethin' somethin' _all alone for the first time or ..."

"Pervert!" Lucia shrieked but at the same time her body began to shiver while Kaito burst into laughter as his reaction. "You're making fun of me!"

After the laughter and the frowns, short silence fell between the two. Lucia found herself looking out at the ocean again while Kaito found himself gazing at the girl next to him. He was tempted again to do something at this moment, like placing his arm around her, just to keep her safe and secure. Right when he saw Lucia's expression going back to what it was before with another tear about to fall he decided not to hesitate. He made his first move by placing his arm around her waist, which made Lucia gasp softly.

"Kaito?" Lucia called his name in a curious tone.

"If you want, you can pretend..."

"Pretend... what do you mean?" Kaito felt slightly nervous at first at this move he was making, but decided to go through the slight fear within him.

"Look, I gotta side with reality and all but I don't think you'll ever see him again. I gotta admit too... I'm close to giving up hoping for her myself..."

Lucia lowered her head, knowing that despite of her hopes of searching for her Kaikane and Kaito searching for his Leolani that time flew and new memories were made and new people as well as the old appear and settle in Nijibe everyday. On the other hand on Lucia's case, she was with her new love this night, assuming that he and Kaikane were not the same person. She began to realize that Kaito truly cared for her regardless of the imperfections he may possessed. Sure, he was some kind of a player and dated the town's hottest girls for one week, but he had his own reasons why.

"You're right... who am I kidding? Maybe I was hallucinating... but I can't be... because I know that was real... and he was real... He was real because I felt his warmth when he held me close so I won't die of the cold that night... He kept me safe, secure, and alive that night. I mean sure, we're kids and we're not that strong enough to keep another alive, but when he held me it felt like we were really meant to be; that we would never part no matter what happens."

Kaito, still with his arm around her waist, answered her: "If it makes you feel better, you can pretend..."

"Pretend? What do you mean?" Just as she asked the question she never felt so much and secure once she felt Kaito's body completely close to her.

"Pretend that I'm him."

Lucia's eyes widened in shock to hear him make that answer. She felt as if he was reading her mind. "Are... are you sure, Kaito? I mean... I wouldn't want to do things you wouldn't feel comfortable and—-"

"Ahaha..." Kaito burst in to laughter and then whispered on her ear. "You have no idea how many types of girls I've dated in the past even if it was just for a week. They've done so many things to me it isn't funny, but I've gotten used to it! If I can stay unaffected from their kissing and caressing for that long, I'm sure whatever you do to me isn't going to affect me a bit."

She turned immediately to him with a more concerned look. "But Kaito... it's me. I'm not like them. I... I'm not a _one-week girlfriend _material at all... and I don't want to be... _that _kind of a friend too. I wouldn't do anything that would make you feel uncomfortable... unaffected or not. I wouldn't do anything that you wouldn't be pleased with. I mean... it's hard for me to pretend that you're him..."

"I just don't want to see you sad anymore because of some dude you happen to fall in love with when you're a kid and then disappear like that. I mean if he knew your name he would be out there somewhere looking for you. If he's a resident of Nijibe then it'd be easy for him to find you, right?"

Lucia nodded, knowing that he was correct with the latter. Why didn't this Kaikane boy even made an attempt to look for her, she wondered. Assuming Kaito and Kaikane were one in the same, Lucia would feel a lot more heartbroken to see Kaito not even recognizing her as the girl he inspired to sing. She could not help herself but to feel her eyes shed more tears again.

"And another thing," Kaito continued, lowering his voice in a slight whisper. "You can't always be like this in tandem surfing. Your main focus in this sport is to open yourself and show the world you're as strong to open yourself in different forms as well as you're graceful and beautiful. You have a part as important as my part, Lucia, and you thinking about him a few weeks away from the tournament worries me as your tandem surfing partner."

Lucia sighed and lowered her head. "I'm sorry, Kaito. Maybe I'm the wrong person to be your partner. I don't even know why you chose me in the first place anyway. I mean, how do you know that I'm actually going to play a part that would be a guaranteed win for that competition? I mean, I've never surfed, let alone posing gracefully on the air while I'm being held up high like a trophy or something."

"I picked you because I feel more connected to you, Lucia, right from the first time we saw each other at the beach that last day of school... when I was chased by those crazy fan girls and I found your hand so you won't get run over by them... when we found a railing small enough to jump over and you jumped along with me without question. Your love of surfing also caught my attention--- no other girl had ever talked about my sport the way you do. And that silly _Surfer Moon _song that we made up too. Who would have I thought I'd end up making up a song with you in a few minutes like that? And despite of the dumb arguments we had we still got along."

"Kaito... I'm sorry... again... I feel such a total _kook _now... a total poser..." Lucia shook her head, sighing in guilt, thinking she made a fool of herself rather than sharing what she knew and loved about the sport to someone who obviously knew and lived the sport more than she did.

The handsome surfer boy shook his head and turned her face gently to him with his finger under her chin. "Besides, your enthusiasm really got to me, but I still think you don't understand enough about the sport until you actually experienced it. For some reason I can see how much you want to have one good ride at the waves someday but you're either scared or shy. Either way, I thought you being my partner in the tandem surfing competition would be a good way for you to experience the sport itself. And..."

Lucia gave a small smile, looking more curious than happy at his reasons. "And... what else?"

"Well... I'd be delighted and honored to share my ride and my board with you, Lucia. Sometimes it gets lonely out there surfing by yourself. Sure, it wins me championship titles, but it's getting repetitive sometimes. I want to win more titles with other events too, not just the usual shortboard competition. I mean... if I can win by myself, I'm pretty confident that I can win the same with someone on the same board with me."

"Kaito... I... I feel so overwhelmed..." Quickly Lucia covered her face to hide the constant blushing. "I don't know if I'll be able to fulfill the things you are aiming for, but I want to do my best with... whatever it is that I need to do."

"Don't worry about that now. You haven't really experienced the importance of winning in a surfing competition yet, so don't think about that. Remember, if we win the tandem surfing competition of the tournament, we win it together and we share the prize together."

"Mm... you're right." Lucia sighed in relief with a smile on her face. Unconsciously, she leaned her head on Kaito's shoulder, simply relaxing herself with him. "Just teach me what I need to do and I'll be sure I get things right."

Kaito found himself blushing when he felt her head on his shoulder. From his skin he could feel how smooth and silky her hair was and how warm her cheeks were. With his arm still around hers he slowly held his grip slightly tighter, forcing Lucia's entire body to move completely next to his.

"I'll call you tomorrow morning to wake you up. We start early tomorrow. Don't think about what you need to wear during our first day of practice. Just wear your wetsuit if you're concerned about bikinis and all that--- though I'd be excited to see you in a two-piece... I bet you'd look really hot in it..."

Lucia blushed even more and gulped nervously. "'Hot' and me don't mix..."

"You'd never know until you try," Kaito softly chuckled. "But like I said, don't worry about that. Deal with that later when it's nearing the tournament already. Most important thing is that you feel safe and comfortable while you learn the basics. Okay?"

Lucia nodded, still with a smile on her face. "I'll wait for that phone call..."

"Well... unless you want to stay here at this very rock formation, overlooking the mighty sea, while we snuggle, cuddle, and sleep together..." Kaito snickered while Lucia shrieked and lifted her head from his shoulder.

"Pervert!" Lucia exclaimed, tightening her fist while Kaito began to laugh.

"I've slept overnight at the beach before several times--- sometimes by myself, most of the time with the dudes. And hell, I'd even admit I had a few girls I dated sleep with me here--- but none of that _somethin' somethin' _ever happened during those nights 'cause that ain't my style."

"Oh! Well... that is... I used to camp out here with the family sometimes and sleep just so we can enjoy the sounds of the peaceful sea and watching the stars twinkle and all of that."

"Then again," Kaito began to snicker again, "if you and I actually slept right here at this spot... well... we may never know what can happen..."

"Kaito!" Lucia shrieked again in a startle. "Why do you always make fun of me like this?"

The alluring surfer stuck his tongue, still grinning at her reaction. "I have no reason to make fun of you. I just like making you blush."

"Oh!" Lucia shrieked and spanked Kaito on the side of his arm.

"Ow--- hey!" Kaito burst in to laughter again, rubbing the pain from his arm.

"I feel like a fool actually thinking you really want to... oh I don't know what I'm babbling about!" She crossed her arms and turned her head away from him.

"Aw, don't be like that, Lucia. If you really want me that much, why don't you say so? I don't mind _doing it _with you... I like you, you know." Right then he winked right when Lucia gazed at him blushing even more.

_Why do you always toy around with my feelings like this, Kaito? It makes me wonder if you ever think of me more than just someone you'd like to play around with... _

Kaito placed a hand on her shoulder, calming her down. "Hey, come on, Lucia. You know I was half-kidding!"

"Half... kidding?" Lucia shifted her eyes right to him without turning her head.

"About you and me _doing it_ in a casual manner? That, I was kidding. I don't believe in that casual stuff. If you're wondering about me... I've never done it--- despite of whatever the hell rumors and gossip Hanon and those other weird fan girls have been feeding your mind. Sure, I fooled around in the past but I got morals too!"

"Y-yeah... of course... why didn't I think of that...?" Lucia sighed in relief and curled herself with her chin resting on her bare knees.

"Another reason why I date girls I could be interested in for a week--- We'd just hang out at the nearest coffee shop and go home that day and then the next day I'm hearing from the dudes that we went _all the way _to the hotel going _hot and heavy _while reminding all the other chicks how _good _of a lover I was. Like what the hell was that all about? I haven't even touched a single girl anywhere else other than her face, her hand, her arm, and her hair..."

Lucia shook her head, now it was confirmed that whatever ideas Hanon tried to plant in to her head was nothing by hearsays from the other _one-week exes_ in the past. She knew to herself that Kaito would rather spend most of his free time surfing and catching the perfect wave to conquer than to fool around with other girls all the way to a one-night stand. Sure, Hanon was still one of her best friends, but sometimes she would have to make herself cautious and find out more about Kaito herself than listening to one of his one-week exes.

"You're a completely different person when you're in total surfer mode, Kaito." Lucia answered to Kaito's previous statement. She remained curled up but turned her head to him. "And when you're just a regular guy dealing with girls you're also different. I think it's like that with everybody. I see you more as a competitor than someone who's in love with love itself... unlike me."

"And my question to you is--- do I care?" Kaito answered with a grin on his face. "You're different from all the girls I got involved with. I don't know how to describe it, but I wasn't kidding when I said that I like you."

"I... I like you too, Kaito." Lucia smiled and slowly leaned herself on to him again. Kaito still had his arm around her waist and tightened a little so she can reach him. While she had her head on his shoulder she had one more thought to add to herself. _No... I love you, Kaito Doumoto. I really do._

Silence fell again but this time the two were in good company with each other, smiling to themselves and to each other all at once. Kaito broke the silence and continued. "So, Lucia... it's getting late. I should take you home."

"Can we stay here... just for awhile?" Lucia whispered unconsciously, still making herself comfortable with her head on his broad shoulder. "Just for awhile...?" _I don't want to go and say goodnight just yet... I mean we're tandem surfing partners and all... I thought we should have a special connection for us to win in that sport? I don't want you to go... I can't wait to spend more time with you tomorrow so... why not spend more time tonight...?_

Kaito fell silent at first, wondering if it was a good idea to stay longer, possibly until the next day, right at that spot with Lucia. It was not as if he did not want to spend the entire night at all, but his main concern was the reaction of her older sister and her younger brother when they learn that their middle sister spent the entire night out at the beach with the champion surfer with a not-so-chaste reputation with the females. He was tempted to stay with her, but just for the precaution he would have to decline.

"Not tonight, Lucia. I don't want your family to worry about you." Kaito said with a smile and took her hand and gently squeezed tight, which Lucia blush even more. "But I'll call you in the morning--- or maybe come over and wake you up when you're still asleep. We start very early tomorrow and we both need our sleep. Okay?"

Lucia sighed sadly and deeply, hoping she would do whatever she can to make him fall in love with her. She was also tempted to call him by his other name, just to see how he would react. Unfortunately, that moment will have to come later. "You're right. We need a fresh start."

Though the second night they spent together at the beach had not much of a conclusion they both knew that their second night would end in a good light. They knew they would not make the same mistake again as the first time. Once they arrived at the Pearl Waters doorstep Lucia threw her arms around Kaito as her way of saying thanks.

"Thanks for having me again tonight at the beach. I had a lot of fun, even if we're just talking."

"Well... you didn't want to do anything so we just ended up talking. We could've done _more_ you know..."

Lucia felt her cheeks blushing again when Kaito quickly patted her on the head gently. "Kaito..."

"Goodnight, Lucia." While her arms were still around his neck he placed his around her waist, slowly pulling her close to him. At that moment Lucia realized one thing. This was the first time that they embraced each other--- in friendly terms, that is.

_Gosh... we're... we're holding in each other's arms... It's like we're girlfriend and boyfriend... Oh man, I feel so nervous... my heart won't stop beating so fast! _Lucia found herself blushing once more and could not control her arms to let go of the boy she had been in love with for the longest time. Just as she continued to hold him around his shoulders she felt a warm breath on her ear and a whispering voice.

"I look forward to tomorrow, Lucia."

Lucia continued to stay in the same position just so she could hide her heavy blushing face from the boy who seemed to enjoy making her blush. "M-me too, Kaito. I can't wait to actually surf for the very first time!"

Slowly she felt herself being released, which forced her arms to release him as well. Right then she found herself facing the surfer boy's captivating smiling face. "Don't worry about time. Unlike some desperate surfers, I like to take things slow so you can learn at your own pace. Just don't think about the tournament for now, alright?"

Lucia nodded and flashed a huge smile. "You can count on me, Kaito! Just you wait and see!"

"Heh, that's the spirit."

"Goodnight, Kaito. Um... sweet dreams, sleep tight... and all that!"

"Haha... I'm gonna need it, but same to you."

The two waved each other goodnight as Kaito made his way back home. Lucia slowly backed away until she reached the door with a huge smile on her face. She placed her hand on her heart to keep it cool and calm. She began to have more thoughts as she pushed the door open using her back.

_I feel like we're going to go on a major date tomorrow--- except it'll be at the water--- surfing... Oh man... and he says he likes me! Although I wonder if that type of 'like' is the friendship like or the 'more than friendship' like. Oh well, since he says he likes to take things slow, then I'll go along with his pace. Man, I wish he'd give me a goodnight kiss or something... _

She finally entered Pearl Waters, making her way to her room. Before that and with the first embrace she shared with Kaito, right at the second floor balcony was her overprotective younger brother Hippo, who still was not impressed with Kaito's meaningful kind gestures on his middle sister. At the same time, not only did he finally learn the truth about his family and their connection to the _Dainami-Oni _incident, but he also learned about the mystery of the Doumoto Twins.

_Damn... Mom, Dad... I can't believe you and the Does actually made a deal to get Lucia to fall in love with and even marry a dude like Kaito Doumoto. I still don't trust him when it comes to girls. What if he gets tired of Lucia right after the tournament? By the time we all get back to school it'd be the same all over again like normal, with Kaito hanging with the most popular girls and Lucia back as a wallpaper again with Rina._

Right at that point Hippo heard footsteps climbing up the stares. His lovestruck middle sister arrived on curfew time, even if there really was no curfew for the Nanamis in the first place. He headed to the hall to meet Lucia right there.

"Oh, Hippo!" Lucia exclaimed once she found the lanky blonde boy standing before her. "Well, I'm home--- before eleven!"

"So what's up with you and Kaito? Did you two confess your love to each other or something?" Hippo asked curiously with his arms crossed.

"I wish..." Lucia sighed deeply and walked through the room where the balcony was located. "We only discussed about tandem surfing and how he was going to make me comfortable surfing out at the sea." She headed for Hippo's bed and sat there while Hippo sat on his desk chair.

"I'm assuming Kaito actually has a tandem longboard for you to practice on." Hippo answered in a rather strict tone. "I'm still kinda unsure about his experience in tandem surfing, let alone how strong he really is to actually carry you---"

"Well, I'll work out and lose some weight so I'll be lighter, Hippo! I don't want him to do any more workouts because he's got more surfing to practice like his usual individuals!"

Hippo shook his head. "You look fine, Lucia. I don't want you going through those crazy crash diets or something so you can look like a toothpick. Besides, you'd be more fragile when you look like a stick figure at tandem surfing than how you look now and that would also be a disadvantage. Usually in tandem surfing, the one who has more responsibility is the surfer himself. If he loses his balance on the board, you're both eliminated. If he drops you, you're both eliminated and he'll be the one to blame because you can get injured if he drops you. Then again, I do know that Kaito as a surfer is a whole different person from Kaito as a player, so tomorrow when you and he go out there at the sea I expect him to be the surfer, not the player that most of these idiot fan girls are fawning over."

"Hey, I know Kaito knows what he's doing. He proved it to me earlier. He's aware of the safety precautions and all of that. And if you still think that he's a player, then he wouldn't suggest for me to wear a wetsuit tomorrow for surfing!"

"Lucia, you're gonna have to wear a bikini one way or the other anyway," Hippo made his statement. "I know how much you hate them, but when you're out there on an actual tandem surfing competition you're required to look really attractive to the spectators and to the judges and most likely wearing the hottest pair of bikinis can be a factor."

"Unless if the water's temperature is cold," Lucia added, "safety precaution too--- wear a swimsuit on a cold temperature ocean. You don't want to die of hypothermia."

"You've got a point too... sometimes the waters at the beach across can get cold. Let's just hope that won't be a factor at the tournament."

Lucia nodded and then curled herself on to her brother's bed, smiling happily while thinking about what happened earlier. Hippo already noticed her reaction right after he mentioned Kaito in the conversation. He began to be more curious than ever. "Why are you all looking goofy like that, Lucia? I've never seen you like that before. Did Kaito kiss you or something?"

"Sadly, no..." Lucia sighed deeply and lowered her head. "He... he was teasing me... he made me think that he was going to... and all other things too... I guess he really does see me more as a friend than anything else... what am I gonna do, Hippo? What if he gets sick of me and finds another girl to talk with? Hippo, you have no idea how that is going to break my heart so much. If he gets tired of me and rejects me then I'm seriously going to die!"

Hippo sighed and shook his head. "You're not gonna die of heartbreak, Lucia, unless if you actually decide to kill yourself, which I do hope you don't because that'd be just stupid. If that happens, you move on and find a really nice guy you really deserve... you know... guys like Rihito---"

"Rihito?" Lucia sighed. "He's nice, mature, and handsome and all, but I just don't see him that way. Plus it'd be illegal for me to date an adult anyway. And knowing Rihito he's not gonna go for middle school-aged girls like me anyway. He hung out with Kaito before he went to college and he also told me that he's a really nice guy once I get to know him."

"I said _guys like Rihito_, not Rihito himself, stupid." Hippo rolled his eyes while Lucia gave a slight humph at the bitter younger brother.

"Why don't you hang out with Kaito one of these days, Hippo? Spend at least one day with him. In that way you'll get to know more about him instead of you making prejudices like that. People talk too much about other people you know? They're not necessarily true unless you experience those hearsays yourself. That was one of the things we talked about and Kaito is really bitter about all the dumb gossip all these stupid fan girls have been passing along to anyone. Even Hanon gave me strange ideas about him when they're not even true!"

"Fine... fine..." Hippo sighed deeply, still shaking his head, then began to change the subject. "Anyway... I found something shocking about our family thanks to the archives we gathered earlier at the library today."

"Shocking? Like what?"

Hippo reached inside his closet and dragged out the box where the items were stored from the archives department at the library. He opened and reached for the red journal notebook that belonged to their parents under the names of _Tack and Tish Seahart_.

"We are the Seahart Family, Lucia. The Seahart name was one of those elaborate _surf nicks _that surfers back then used to name themselves and their fellow surfers in the Rainbowside. The premiere tandem surfing couple of that time were Mom and Dad--- Tack and Tish Seahart, a.k.a. Takerou and Chisa Nanami."

Lucia's eyes widened as Hippo handed the journal notebook to her. "Wait... are you saying that we're actually a family of surfers?"

"Yes, we are, Lucia! That's why you and I got in to the sport in general so easily. We got easily connected to the sport one way or the other even if we don't actually surf ourselves. Surfing runs through our blood, Sis."

Lucia gasped in shock as she began to skim through the first page when she read the warning note. She read the names mentioned and gasped even more to find two particularly names that she had in her mind as of late. "What...? Did I just read... Leolani and Kaikane?"

Hippo nodded. "You're Leolani, Lucia. That's your _surf nick_. You may not be a surfer yourself but Mom and Dad were. In the Rainbowside, if any surfer has a family, each family member has a _surf nick_. _Hippo _isn't just some family nickname Mom and Dad gave me. It's also my _surf nick_ too."

"Hippo... about... about Kaikane... please tell me you found something about him... He's the boy whom I saved those seven years ago and all this time I've been looking and waiting and hoping he would return to me one day..." Lucia felt desperate for answers, begging her younger brother to provide any information regarding her first love.

The younger brother turned to the box and reached for the second notebook. He handed it to her and she took the second notebook from him. She opened the cover and read what was on the first page. Everything was handwritten, not printed, which meant that this was some kind of a journal.

_**The SURFER LOG of the RAINBOWSIDE TANDEM SURF CREW**  
Gen and Kim Doe  
(Genrou and Kimiko Doumoto)_

_**WARNING! This journal belongs to the eyes of  
**The Entire RAINBOWSIDE SURF TRIBE of Nijibe  
The Doe Twins – Kainehe and Kaikane_

"Kaikane--- Doe?" Lucia read the name on the first cover. She also took note of what was written in the parenthesis underneath the names of _Gen and Kim Doe_. Right then her suspicion of seeing Kaito and Kaikane being one in the same was finally confirmed. She gasped happily and suddenly embraced her brother tightly to her. "I love you so much, Hippo! You're my hero!"

Hippo blinked curiously and patted his older sister on the shoulder. "Uh... okay...?"

"I want to thank you for doing all this archives thing about our family and the Seaharts and the Does and... that means I really was meant to be with Kaikane... no... Kaito..."

"Hold it, Lucia!" Hippo exclaimed and took the notebook away from her. "How do you know that Kaito is Kaikane?"

"Well isn't it obvious? When people write the names of siblings they usually write them in order--- from the oldest to the youngest. Since Kaikane was written second, then it's obvious that's Kaito's _surf nick_!"

"What if they wrote it by mistake? It could be his older twin Gaito, you know?"

"No!" Lucia shrieked in shock, refusing to believe Hippo's theory. "Gaito and Sara belong to each other! And it's Kaito who I want to be with, not him. I'm not gonna barge in their love and declare to Gaito that our late parents wanted us together and stuff like that... Sure, they're twins and they pretty much look like each other, but I can easily tell who's who. Gaito is a lot calmer and he's not much of a flirt with random girls. Kaito is a bit more open and has more experience with girls than Gaito does!"

"Right, and Gaito is the one who has the girlfriend." Hippo snickered and leaned himself against the cushion of his desk seat. "Lucia, you're being too hopeful. You can't just make assumptions like that. Okay, so you're in love with Kaito and this kid with the _surf nick _of Kaikane from seven years ago. You're wishing and hoping and praying that Kaito and Kaikane are the same guy. Sis, you're the only one among us three siblings who never dated or even experienced being in love. Nicola--- or should we call her Cole--- had a few dates with Maki's younger brother, only to find out later that he had no interest in her being a girlfriend. Me, on the other hand, well you know already. But seriously, Lucia, you can't just say that Kaito and that Kaikane kid from seven years ago are the same person. You need more proof than that and the Does' journal you're holding now doesn't have much to prove it."

"Oh Hippo..." Lucia sighed deeply and sadly and lowered her head, preventing herself from getting teary-eyed again. "It's not fair... what am I gonna do? I feel so desperate now. I had such a wonderful time with Kaito, just talking while watching the ocean rolling in and rolling out and even count the stars that we see up the sky. Hippo, how am I going to talk to Kaito now? I mean he's so hyped about tandem surfing that I don't want to just start to... um... you know... flirt... with him... just because he was my true love for seven years. I mean, what if he's forgotten about me as Leolani? What if he was talking about some other girl that he was looking for? That's what I'm really scared of happening. Sure, I'm his tandem surfing partner for the tournament, but what if that's all I'm going to be with him? What if when we go back to school we'd just be classmates who never spoke to each other like we were before? I guess everyone's right about him getting interested in a girl and dates her for one week and that was it. I'm just going really nuts thinking about all this!"

Hippo grabbed Lucia by her shoulders and began to shake her abruptly. "Get a hold of yourself, Sis! Look... if you really want to know if Kaito has a _surf nick _and if he says it's Kaikane, then go from there."

"I can't do that! I don't want to scare him! I don't want him to say that our parents made a deal or something that they're going to hook us up. I mean what if he doesn't know that? And... and I can't believe we even have the possession of the Doumoto Twins' parents' surfing journal... I think we should give it to them or bring it back to the archives---"

"Not right now. I need to read more of their journal. I want to know more about these two tandem surfing couples. We already know too much about Cole--- Nicola! Only thing we need to do is confront her about her hiding around and trying to _brainwash _us as being normal Nijibe kids who were never involved with the Rainbowside."

"Maybe... maybe Nicola had an argument with Mom and Dad or something before they died and she felt so guilty about their death. But I can't even remember because you and I always hung out with Taro more than with Nicola. She was always busy surfing and from what I recall it wasn't until Mom and Dad died of a boat accident that we finally got closer to Nicola, you know?"

"Lucia!" Hippo began to correct her. "Mom and Dad didn't die of a boating accident like Nicola warped us in to thinking when we were kids--- they died at the regional championships when they got swallowed by the _Dainami-Oni_ that day! And here's the interesting part too, Lucia. The interesting part is how the Doe Couple died."

"Kaito said they drowned from what I can remember, but I don't remember how they drowned..."

Hippo chuckled and reached for the box and out came some newspaper article clippings. "Our parents were taken away by the _Dainami-Oni _first. The Does came next when they attempted to find and rescue our parents from drowning. It wouldn't make sense for the officials to continue on with the competition after that major accident. Though they were swallowed down the sea first, the _Dainami-Oni _did not stop there. It still continued to roll in numerous times that it really did scare the entire spectacle. Both Gen and Kim Doe--- or shall we say Mr. and Mrs. Doumoto--- headed out to the sea to look for the Seaharts even when they were advised not to--- but they valued the lives of their teammates. It was the Rainbowside Code of Honor, you know, as well as the _Surfing Etiquette Bills_ too."

Lucia fell silent, still was in disbelief what she was hearing, however the more they spoke about the Seaharts, the Does, and the _Dainami-Oni _the more she was beginning to recall the memories lost, or rather forced to erase, by her older sister. Nicola's intention as to why she did that to her younger siblings was still a mystery and the only way to find out was to finally confront her about this whole thing. She was beginning to remember her childhood at the S-Cube and the people present during those times. And right at that point she began to visualize the kids who were there. She began to remember her days hanging out with older cousin Taro along with the younger Hippo. She also remembered how Taro and Sara met before they began dating. It was even at the beach where Taro was holding hands with her and Hippo and Sara holding hands with both the Doumoto Twins (or in this case, the Doe Twins). She remembered that both Taro and Sara loved children and had a few things in common and the rest was history.

"Oh... oh... now I'm beginning to recall now, Hippo. I think... I think have seen Kaikane before... but I can't remember which one was which because they looked so much alike when they were younger." It was not until that night seven years ago when she met Kaikane and her discovery of her love of singing, thanks to him. She remembered how much kindness he showed her even if they were strangers then, plus in the dream she had earlier at the library when she accidentally fell asleep even made it clear how much kindness the boy had for her. She felt that the boy Kaikane also fell in love with her the same way she fell in love with him.

"Sorry, Sis... I'm too young to remember. I was only five when Mom and Dad died." Hippo shrugged and then placed his arm around his older sister. "Lucia, cheer up. I can already see with your reactions that you've got it real bad for Kaito because of that Kaikane kid from seven years ago. Just be happy that you're very close to finding that boy of your dreams that night seven years ago. In fact, just say that you already found him. The only thing you need to figure out is which one of the two is Kaikane."

Lucia sighed and shook her head. "And you're calling me an idiot, Hippo? It's obvious, don't you think? If Kaikane was Gaito then he wouldn't be dating Sara--- that is, he would give me some sort of equal attention even if he didn't have the same feelings for me. Kaito doesn't have a permanent girlfriend and he also told me that the reason why he was having these _one-week girlfriend _was because he was looking for his first love--- the girl who rescued him from drowning those seven years ago--- the same exact event as what I had at that day. Hippo, I still believe in my heart that Kaito is Kaikane. It's not because I love him, but it's because my instincts are telling me so. And not just that--- didn't Mom and Dad write in their journal that they made a deal with the Does about Kaikane and me?" She sighed and began to blush again when she began to think about everything related to Kaito and Kaikane. "He was so kind and gentle... and earlier tonight Kaito was being kind and gentle too, even if he made fun of me and tease me a lot... He couldn't wait for tomorrow... oh Hippo, I would be so nervous around him tomorrow because I know I'd be tempted to call him Kaikane when I have no proof and... and... I don't know what else to say anymore..."

"Jeez, Lucia..." Hippo shook his head once more. "You'll be fine tomorrow. If you want I'll hang out with you dudes and betties if you want. I need some fresh shots for my collection anyway."

"Hippo, I still feel that Kaito is Kaikane... because he's the one I'm in love with, not Gaito. If Kaikane really was Gaito then I would've known and I would be falling head over heels on him instead of Kaito, but I don't. Sure, they both look a like in many ways that anybody would have a hard time figuring out which one is which, but to me I can see that they're two different people."

"Well, you're right about the twins being different from each other. Even I can tell them apart from each other because as an aspiring surf photographer I've been keeping an eye on those two. Gaito is the crewmaster, manages the surfers in the tribe in both recreational and in competition, giving them advice and the pep talk in to making them champs. Kaito is the _kahuna _of the tribe, the one who holds the championship title for around four consecutive years--- maybe even more, I lost count. Gaito focused more on --- you know Kaito more than I do, so I'll take your word for it."

Lucia gazed at the two notebooks and reached for the red. "Can I borrow this for awhile? I wanna read what Mom and Dad wrote in here."

"Go ahead. I'm done with Mom and Dad's journal anyway." Hippo reached for the blue notebook, belonging to the Doumoto couple. "I'll start reading the Doumotos' journal."

"Hippo, I think it's wrong. I don't think we should read it. It belongs to Kaito and Gaito..."

"I know it's wrong but it said that the entire Rainbowside tribe can read it."

"But we're not part of the tribe, Hippo. We're not hardcore surfers like Mom and Dad--- and even Nicola--- seven years ago."

"We're family of the Rainbowside, which automatically makes us tribe members."

Lucia sighed with a frown. "Fine... Just please don't think of Kaito in the wrong light after reading that journal."

"Hey, I don't know him personally as much as you do, so don't worry. You're the only one who knows the truth about him."

Lucia nodded and clung on to the red notebook to herself as she stood up from the bed. "Well... I'm heading to bed now. I need to wake up early."

"Good," Hippo said with a nod. "Real deal surfers do start their practice very early morning when the surf's are up. And since you're partnered up with last year's champ, you're gonna have to work hard to be on his level."

"I know, I know... I trust him with however he's going to teach me how to surf or what to do when we're out there."

The two siblings wave each other goodnight as Lucia made her way back to her bedroom. She made sure she did not disturb anyone who was already asleep and not be seen by Nicola with their parents' journal in her hands. Once she made it to the door of her room she entered, locked her door, and placed the journal on her bed. She changed to her usual pink pair of PJs and headed to the restroom to wash herself. Once she headed back to her room she jumped on to her cozy bed and turned on her bedside radio to see if there were anything interesting on air.

That particular radio show was the _Young Lovers' Night _radio show, meaning that the period's most popular and memorable love songs, ballads, and anything else with a deep romantic meaning were aired at this particular radio show. Though this was yet another teen and young adult-related radio show like the _Nijibe Youth Talk Corner _morning radio show, this particular radio show was quite popular with many of Nijibe youth, boys and girls, simply because there were no gossip talk about the town's most recognized youth around. In addition to playing favorite love songs on the air, there were many teenagers around Nijibe, mostly young girls, would call in to say their special dedications to the ones they loved, the ones they were secretly in love with. Because the night was just beautiful and she still could not get over the moment she spent with Kaito awhile ago she was truly in the mood to listen to late night shows.

As Lucia continued to listen to the show while reading the first few pages of the Seahart Couple journal she listened to many of the listeners calling in and declaring their dedications to their special someone on air. Many of them were heartfelt and a few even brought the blonde girl to tears. When more dedications were being announced it was at that point where she had an idea.

She closed the journal and placed it underneath her pillows and reached for her cellphone. She dialed the phone number announced on the air hurriedly, hoping she would get a chance to say something on air.

In the meantime at the Doumoto Twins' classy and stylish beachside _shack_, the surfer boys of the Rainbowside were having their usual late night card game at the completely spic and span living room while the very high-tech, flashy stereo system was tuned in to the _Young Lovers' Night _radio show. Though Kaito was not exactly a fan of this particular radio show--- in fact, he was never much of a fan to any radio shows that was Nijibe teen-related--- he gave the exception of letting the rest of the boys including his older twin to tune in and listen anyway. He watched Masahiro, Nagisa, Kengo, and Daichi play a good game of 13-Card Poker on the sides while Gaito arrived from the kitchen with a bag of potato chips, a small bowl of French Onion dip, and a box of freshly refrigerated pack of Coca Cola.

"Alright dudes," Gaito called to them while placing the bowls on the very clean and tidy glass coffee table and opening the box of Coca Cola cans afterwards. "Late night grub's here!"

"Awesome!" The boys placed their hands down as they gathered around the coffee table to take their late night snack break.

Gaito took out the cans and tossed them gently to the rest of the boys, with Kaito being last. Once Kaito caught his can he sat at the wall side sofa and rested himself against the cushion with his legs over the sofa.

As the rest of the surfers made their munching, Kaito opened his can, hearing the familiar fizzle of freshly ice-cold cola waiting to quench his personal thirst. When he began to sip his cola, he caught the radio show airing something that intrigued him.

"_RNBW FM here and welcome to the Young Lovers Night show!"_

"_H-hi... Cupie, was it?"_

"_That's right, sweetie. Cupie's the name! What's yours?"_

"_I'm... I'm... Leolani..."_

Just when Kaito heard the particular name he choked on his cola and accidentally spilled it right out from his mouth. His accident caught attention from the rest of the surfers, most particularly his twin. Gaito stood up from his spot and glared at Kaito.

"Kaito, you better clean that mess up, man."

"Sorry..." Kaito shook his head and felt embarrassed for that accident. But before he was going to head to the cleaning closet to grab an all-purpose cleaner and a sponge he continued to listen. He hushed at the rest of the boys and they followed suit.

"_So, what can I do for you and for all the listeners, Leolani? Beautiful name, by the way..."_

"_Th-thank you... Cupie..."_

"_Now don't be shy now... I can tell your voice is trembling. Did you want anything?"_

"_I... I... I want to send... a message... and... I want to sing a song... for him..."_

Kaito's eyes opened wide in shock, knowing that there can only be one Leolani existing in the town of Nijibe. This was Japan, of course. A name like Leolani was obviously not common in these foreign grounds, especially on beach side towns such as Nijibe. The rest of the boys began to wonder what this particular scene of the show intrigued their _kahuna_.

"_Well, if you don't speak up, this someone special will never know what you want to say to him. Go ahead, the air waves are all yours now."_

"_Um... okay... here goes..."_

"Hey, turn it up, will you?" Kaito asked politely to the boys as Nagisa ran to the stereo and turned up the volume.

"_If you are here in Nijibe, Kaikane... this is me, Leolani... I hope you still remember me. If you don't, well, I'm the one who rescued you from drowning seven years ago and... it's been so long that we've been apart. I've been thinking about you everyday, hoping and praying that you would come back in my life again. I'm sorry I had to speak up for so long because I didn't know what to do but to be patient until your return. I just want to say how much I've missed you and even if we're fourteen--- or some other age if you happen to be older or younger than me--- and I just wonder how you have been these days. I know I may sound like an idiot doing this over the radio because I don't even know if you even listen to this show at this hour or not. Then again, I don't even know if you live here in Nijibe or not, but in case... It's you, Kaikane. It's always been you and no one else but you. I really wish we would meet again because I know in my heart--- and I've always felt like this ever since we first met--- that... that I love you..."_

"Leolani!" From out of the blue Kaito shouted her name, which startled the rest of the surf tribe. Gaito hushed them all as they continued.

"_Kaikane... if you really are listening right now... please call this station at this hour... and answer me... that is... if you want to. Well, what I mean to say is... please look for me. I don't know how you look like now since we all change as we grow up and I don't know how else I can reach you except through here. If you are listening now... please... please... at least, just answer me, even if you're probably with someone else now. Please let me know how you're doing and... please let me know if you still want to meet me. If not, then I appreciate you taking the time to listen to what I have to say..."_

Kaito fell silent, knowing his heart was completely absorbing every single world the mysterious girl Leolani spoke on the radio show. The rest of the surfers turned to each other with confused and curious looks as Nagisa whispered on Masahiro's ear.

"Hey... I dunno about you, but don't you think that Leolani girl sounds a lot like Lucia?"

"Shh..." Masahiro hushed as Nagisa shrugged his arms. They continued to listen on.

"_... But before I go, I want to dedicate you this song that I wrote a long time ago. It pretty... um... sums up how I've always felt about you ever since that fateful night where we first met..."_

Without any background music since this was a personally-written song, the trembling voice began to sing on the air:

_Blue dreamer_

_That's what they call me_

_Just a blue dreamer_

_Dreaming of you_

_And I hear them say_

_I'm dreaming my life away_

_Blue dreamer_

_I guess I'll always be_

_A blue dreamer_

_Until the day_

_That I hear you say_

_You'll make my dreams come true_

_Why can't you see that it's breaking my heart_

_To have you only in my dreams_

_For just as long as we are apart_

_My life is empty, it seems_

_Blue dreamer_

_That's what they call me_

_Just a blue dreamer_

_Dreaming of you_

_And I hear them say_

_I'm dreaming my life away_

_Blue dreamer..._

The girl on the air sang this particular song with all her heart and that was shown with a few of the sniffs that was heard. That indicated that the girl was crying at the same time on the background while she was singing that song. Even if that was the case, the song itself was quite mesmerizing to some listeners' ears. For Kaito and the Rainbowside surfers, the song really did get to them while at times also sent chills down their spine.

Kaito reached in the pocket of his sweatpants for his cellphone, knowing he just had to respond to the mysterious Leolani. He was still free despite of his past history and like the desperate girl he also felt the same way for her in secret. He continued to listen for the radio station's phone number again so he may dial and answer.

"_That was beautiful, Leolani. So you wrote this song all by yourself?"_

"_I... I have... when I was seven-years-old. That was how old I was when I first met him."_

"_Even that special boy had that really cool name too! Hopefully your message is heard by every single boy throughout Nijibe and one of them could be the boy you've been yearning for! Let's just hope he would call in and identify himself and he will answer you. I'm glad to help you, hoping I can connect and unite the two of you at this beautiful romantic summer night."_

"_Th-thank you... for giving me this chance. Goodnight Cupie and goodnight to all of you in Nijibe."_

"_Well, that's Leolani from... oh my... she didn't even mention what part of Nijibe she was from! Maybe her dream lover Kaikane would be able to identify his location so maybe the poor girl may find him there! So dudes, if one of you is Kaikane, at least do the poor girl a favor and call in and respond to her--- girlfriend or not! At least hearing from you would definitely make her happy..."_

The DJ, a deep-voiced male nicknamed Cupie, provided the phone number to dial, in which Kaito began to dial. The boys gathered around the sofa area, looking concerned towards Kaito while Gaito gave in and began to clean the mess Kaito made earlier.

"Dude..." Daichi spoke first. "So... that girl... she really does exist!"

Kaito shook his head as he waited for someone at the other line to answer. "I can't believe it... Leolani is here! Why did she wait so long to say something? Oh man... this is wrong timing... I was looking forward to seeing Lucia tomorrow and then Leolani just had to call in!"

"Dude, relax!" Masahiro patted Kaito on the shoulder. "It's not like you and Lucia are already dating or anything. You still got a chance with Leolani, but I'm not recommending you dumping Lucia for Leolani as your tandem surfing partner."

"Man, I'm not gonna do that! Lucia would still be my partner of course, but I also want to see Leolani after all these years..."

"Dang, Kaito, this is just--- dang!" Kengo exclaimed in shock. "I just hope that this ain't one of those stupid leaks that those fan girls accidentally overheard because I swear to you I never mentioned her name!" The rest of the surfers answered the same as Kengo right then.

"I don't care if those stupid fan girls would start talking about it. Besides, no one knows, not even the media or those idiot fan girls, know about Kaikane." Kaito snickered as he continued to wait until someone picks up his call.

"But aren't you Kaikane, Kaito?" Kengo asked curiously to confirm when Masahiro suddenly spanked him on the head. "What? I just asked a simple question!"

"Well duh!" Daichi exclaimed while rolling his eyes at Kengo. "That's what makes it cool! Anyone can say anything and I'm sure this whole Leolani and Kaikane thing would be the biggest subject to gossip starting tomorrow."

"Which is also to our advantage too," Masahiro joined in the conversation. "Those crazy fan girls will be more focused on the on-air love story of Leolani and Kaikane, which gives Kaito and Lucia more time and open privacy to train in tandem surfing and prepare for the tournament."

Kaito became a bit more impatient as the phone on the other line kept on ringing and ringing. "Pick up... come on... pick up!"

Gaito finished cleaning up the mess and sat right next to Kaito. "Let's just be sure that this whole Leolani and Kaikane _love story _doesn't escalate too much. It's bad enough Kaito was the main subject of this morning's _Nijibe Youth Talk Corner _show. Let's not make a big deal about this one because if everyone finds out that Kaikane is actually Kaito, we're dead! That means the rest of you--- _do not mention _anything about Leolani and Kaikane to anyone in public!" He turned to Kaito with a concerned look and spoke. "Kaito, don't be too obvious about your identity when you speak your words on air, okay?"

"Don't you think I know that, G? I'll be careful, I promise."

Just as the conversation was about to continue, the phone on the other end was picked up.

Back at Pearl Waters, Lucia cried herself to sleep after her long dedication to her beloved Kaikane. Unfortunately for her she fell in to a deep sleep just as she finally got her answer from the radio show, still playing on her bedside radio.

"_RNBW FM and Welcome to the Youth Lovers' Night show! What's your name?"_

"_Uh, yeah. Um... I'm calling because I got a message from one of the girls who called in earlier today..."_

"_A message, you say? What's your name?"_

"_This is Kaikane..."_

"_Oh! Whoa! Dude, you've got some voice chicks seriously dig! That poor girl's gonna be happy once she finally heard your more mature voice in today's show!"_

"_Yeah... I guess. Right."_

"_Well then! The airwaves are yours! Speak away, my man!"_

"_Okay. Check it... Leolani, it's me, Kaikane, and I heard your message. I just want to say that I'm very happy to hear from you again. You have no idea how much you've occupied me every single day, and like you, I've been counting hours and days until the time comes for you and I to meet again. I don't know how else I can keep in touch with you except here so I'm doing the same you did earlier. There's so much I want to say to you, Leolani, but I'd rather tell you face to face and in person rather than revealing them in public. I... I hope you'd understand. I don't know how you look like now, but I'll be looking for you. I'll search high and low and all over Nijibe from downtown to the beaches until I find you. I know this may sound strange but somehow in my heart you are very close. Give me time and give me a chance to find you, Leolani, or else I've wasted my time saving my heart for you these past seven years. I know you're calling for me too, and since I noticed that you didn't even mention what part of Nijibe you are right now, I'll tell you one location where you can easily find me. I hang out a lot at the Sector 7 Kaigara Beach, just across from Pearl Waters. It's a pretty small beach but with serious awesome waves, you can't miss it. As long as you make yourself present at Sector 7, I will find you. I love you too much to let you go like this, Leolani..."_

Though Lucia seemed to have slept through the entire message she did catch the location he gave to her. She could not believe that her long lost beloved was just right there across the street from her. She ran to the balcony of her room and gazed right towards the beach. That was not the only thing she noticed throughout that message. She immediately recognized the dreamy, sultry young voice of the boy on air.

_Kaito... _Lucia's smile widened in pure happiness while she listened to her beloved Kaikane's message on the airwaves. _I was right! I know that gentle voice anywhere... Kaito... you are Kaikane!_

She ran back to her bed and clung on to her elongated pillow, still smiling to herself. _Oh Kaito... I love you so much... you're not just my one and only love but you're even my tandem surfing partner too. Now I truly will look forward to see you tomorrow morning! And since I know your voice everywhere I sure do hope you'd recognize mine too... We're finally together, Kaito... my Kaikane!_

The boy's message ended with the following...

"_I have a song for you, but I've forgotten the words. Please forgive me for not responding with a different song, but I do have a song for you... but I would sing it directly to you in person. That's all for now."_

"_Well then! Just one single location--- Sector 7 Beach. I sure hope that you two find each other. If you do, I'm very sure that your legendary love story would be a memorable one throughout Nijibe."_

"_Thanks for letting me speak, even if it's short, Cupie."_

"_No problem, dude. You and Leolani have some major sweet dreams!"_

Lucia turned off her radio after the message was over and turned off her bedside lamp. She tucked herself in bed and closed her eyes with that same gleeful smile on her face.

* * *

_**Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch **is © 2003 Pink Hanamori and Michiko Yokote. All songs used are © respected songwriters/owners. No copyright infringement intended._

_**RATED T** for the VERY mild language and slight adult situations._

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES: (PLEASE READ! VERY IMPORTANT MAJOR NOTE INCLUDED!)**_

_Man, I feel like I haven't written as much due to my new job. I've only got a few nighttime hours to write fanfics as of late, and right now is very crucial due to next week (Holy Week – important week for Catholics, Orthodox Christians, Anglicans, Protestants, and other Christian groups who follow Holy Week – the week of major abstinence and fasting before Easter), since I'm part of my (Catholic) church choir. Anyway..._

_Just one **major note** here. I know some of you don't even bother reading my **AUTHOR'S NOTES**, but they're pretty important too. I've given clear explanations regarding my usage of things within the fanfic. Lately based on the reviews I've been receiving there are a few who are pointing things out in which I already explained in my **AUTHOR'S NOTES**. I appreciate leaving reviews or comments and such but it does get annoying and irritating for me to reply to each and every one of you giving you the same explanations and then mention that all of that is in the **AUTHOR'S NOTES**. I'm not being mean or anything, but as a reader it's best if you read the entire document first (when I read other people's fanfics I also read the author's notes/A/Ns or whatever you call them) before you ask the author questions. So please, a major favor--- please read the **AUTHOR'S NOTES **first. If there's something in there you don't understand or if you got some discrepancies, then that's when you start sending me PMs or leave a review with questions. Thanks!_

_#1 – **Cawaii! **is an actual popular Japanese teen fashion magazine. It's kind of like **CosmoGirl **(teen girl version of **Cosmopolitan** – already out of circulation as of 12/2008), except it's in Japanese. That also includes a bit of the **kogyaru **trends(the "not-so-clean teenybopper" trend; less elegant than the **Gothic Lolita **trend), fashion tips, and anything else you may usually see in a teen fashion magazine. You can purchase an issue at online Japanese and/or Asian stores such as **CD Japan** or **YesAsia**. There's a few back issues of this magazine at **Kinokuniya Bookstore **(if there's one near your area that is) but they're generally more expensive than the ones you can purchase online._

_#2 – **The Surf Coasters** are a 3-member Japanese surf rock band who made a huge name since 1994, not just in Japan, but many parts of the world as well. They had a few U.S. tours back in the mid-2000s, primarily in the West Coast (California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Hawaii). The band hasn't been performing since 2005 and no news of the band already broken up, but hopefully one day we'll hear from them again. They just rock the house like that!_

_I put up a **poll** in my **profile** regarding any "possible" ideas to increase my fanfic count (and to entertain you readers!) for MMPPP. I can't guarantee that I'm really going to go for these ideas, but it would help a bit. If you're a follower of my fic, please help me out and vote! ^_^_


	13. Leolani and Kaikane

**RIDE THE WILD SURF  
a Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch Fanfiction**

by Adrimarie

**Leolani and Kaikane**

An imaginary alarm sounded off from an imaginary clock which made Lucia wake up from her sounding, peaceful, and beautiful night sleep. Though her actual clock stroke at four thirty in the morning, her enthusiasm and her excitement of finally discovering that all this time her long lost love was right in front of her all along caused her to wake up without any complaints of waking up too early. She got up quickly from her bed, washed herself, brushed and gargled fresh, and fixed her bed afterwards. She searched through her closet for today's outfit of the day while singing another song from out of the blue. Supposedly she was going to sing another love declaration song that starred Kaito "Kaikane" Doumoto in there, but instead she sang a song that would make her feel armed for battle.

_Well along the coast all through and through_

_I'd make it everyday as long as I'm with you_

_My secret surfin' spot, only I know_

_Where the grommets and the hodads never go_

_I said the grommets and the hodads never go..._

After a few moments she found her white and sky blue baby tee--- instead of her usual pink or red--- with a beach and surf-related motif design on it, and dark knee-high pair of dark blue shorts. She began to comb her hair and just as she was going to put her usual hairpins and ribbons she realized that today was her first day of tandem surfing training. That would mean she would be spending the entire day in the water. Best to leave her hair loose instead.

_Well I'm hotdoggin' on my board till the sun goes down_

_I jump in to my rider and then make it back in town_

_My secret surfin' spot, only I know_

_Where the grommets and the hodads never go_

_I said the grommets and the hodads never go_

She got her backpack ready along with the wetsuit she borrowed from Nicola last night. She made sure that it was there just before she headed out to meet Kaito. Once she was about to exit her bedroom she found Hanon, Sara, and Rina already awake and ready for the new day. Both Sara and Hanon were wearing a rather wild printed bikini top with short skirts around their waists to cover their bikini bottoms while Rina still appeared with her usual long t-shirt and jeans getup. She wondered why these girls woke up so early while all three spotted Lucia also up and ready.

"Good, you're up!" Sara waved at Lucia with her humble smile on her face. "Dang girl, you looked pumped up!"

"Got that right!" Lucia raised a fist of victory up in the air, giving Hanon a slight suspicion about her.

"Looks like someone is happy and shining this morning," Rina spoke with a grin on her face. "Something good happened between you and Kaito?"

"Oh... things happened but nothing official."

Hanon quickly stood in front of Rina with curiosity in her eyes. "'Things happened but nothing official'? Are you telling me that the first kiss you two shared is _not _official?"

"Hanon, you jump to too many conclusions!" Rina shook her head at Hanon's response. "Let Lucia talk first."

Lucia shook her head at Hanon. "There's no first kiss last night. I did get a first hug from him, but that's because I hugged him first to thank him for choosing me as his partner."

"A _first hug_? That's just weak, Lucia. Kaito is such a moron to not even give you your first kiss. I mean what's not to like about you? I think you're charming and pretty enough for any guy to beg on their knees for your attention. And for one thing, you actually got the attention of the hottest guy in the entire town in a matter of three weeks straight! That's a total first in the history of this young generation, Lucia!" Hanon mumbled quickly while Rina and Sara chuckled softly from behind.

"Well... I'm not expecting a lot from Kaito, Hanon!" Lucia retorted in a slightly high volume. "There's nothing wrong with just being friends for the time being... plus my lips are not exactly kissable anyway..." Right then her conscience's voice spoke within her. _Well... okay, that's not exactly true. Kaito almost kissed me yesterday if it weren't for those stupid DJ people and those fan girls following them around like sick puppies... Oh man, I wanted him to kiss me that time... I still want him to kiss me, even if it's just on the cheek..._

"Lucia, hello!" Hanon continued on with her stance. "What I meant by _first time in history_, I meant that Kaito actually hung out with the same girl for straight three weeks is a record! When he's not dating or doing that one-week girlfriend thing he was always seen with the dudes of the Rainbowside! He's not that known for hanging out with one girl for a long period of time. In fact when he does the one-week girlfriend thing he's usually seen with a different girl every three to four hours a day... but that's aside the point! You can't really say he's not interested in you like that because if he isn't, he'd avoid you as much as he can, but there are tons of times where he would approach you and would stay with you for a long period of time--- like last night, for example. After hours, he stayed late just because he wants to hang out with you at the beach, and not just hanging out, but hanging out _alone_? That's never happened to any girl in this generation ever since he became a stud at age twelve!"

"You talk too much, Hanon," Sara interrupted with a smirk on her face. "You don't know Kaito that well. I admit I don't know him much as well because he's so different from Gaito, which was why it was so easy for many of us to know which one of the twins is which." She turned to Lucia with a more confident smile this time. "Lucia, when it comes to love, it takes a lot of time. If you're patient enough to wait while you build up your relationship with him little by little you'll have a big chance that he would never look at any random girl passing him by except you."

"You're right... I guess..." Lucia decided not to dwell with the thought of Kaito being Kaikane and her tandem surfing partner and changed the subject. "So, I know you and Hanon are awake because of the early morning tandem surfing practice, right?" She turned slowly to Rina, who was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, slightly behind Hanon. "What about you, Rina? How come you're up and early too?"

Rina raised an eyebrow of suspicion at first, then provided her answer. "Er... I... it's uh... well..." She cleared her throat to calm herself from getting nervous. "It's just that there's a photographer that Masahiro hired who's going to take some shots of me in a swimsuit as part of the team entry to the tournament. The beauty contest officials would like to see some photos before they come and meet the actual contestants themselves. Since all the surfers are gonna be present at the beach early this morning we decided to take advantage of the time before everybody else starts flocking the beach some hours later."

Hanon dashed to Rina's side and nudged her on her arm. "You're gonna wear a hot, wild bikini today for the photo shoot, Rina?"

Rina glared at Hanon immediately. "Hell no!"

"What? What kind of a beauty contest entry is that? I mean we are talking about the _Beach Babe Beauty Pageant_, right? You're not gonna walk around in a long gown or anything like that!"

"I _am _going to wear a swimsuit, Hanon, but not specifically a bikini. There's no rule that says you have to wear a bikini to be in the contest. If you really are curious as to what I'm going to wear, I'm going to wear a cute and simple-looking dark blue, white, and green skirtini. Bikinis are for the desperate. Skirtinis are for style and personality. And besides, Masahiro likes the idea. He thinks I'd still look beautiful in it without exposing half of myself to a bunch of random people."

"That's great, Rina!" Lucia exclaimed happily. "I think it'd be safe to say that I can wear a skirtini on the tandem surfing tournament so I don't have to feel so embarrassed, especially in front of Kaito, you know?"

"You two are really..." Hanon shook her head with shrugs on her arms. "There's no such thing as modesty at the beach, you know? You can't be always hiding yourself if you want to have the hottest dudes of the beach to check you out!"

"That's not true," Sara interrupted, which earned the attention of the three. "If that was true, Hanon, then Hamasaki wouldn't have chosen Rina to be their beach babe entry and Kaito wouldn't have chosen Lucia to be his tandem surfing partner. Those two dudes know Rina and Lucia aren't _bikini_-loving chicks, but there's something special within these two that drew Masaahiro and Kaito to them. Besides, they haven't asked the girls to wear bikinis or anything like that."

Hanon blinked in curiosity and sighed. "But Sara... you wear bikinis a lot!"

"That's because I like wearing them, Hanon, not because I'm trying to get guys. I already have my own dude, so I don't need that."

"Ugh, stupid Kaito!" Hanon exclaimed with a tightened fist. "Before we dated for a week last year he said he likes bikini-clad girls so I started wearing them to get his attention! Heck, that's why most of these Kaito fanatics started wearing bikinis so they can get _his _attention!"

"Heh, right," Rina snickered, still in her usual cool demeanor. "Lucia didn't even have to do anything and she still got _his _attention. In fact, it wasn't her who came to him, but it was he who came to her. That is a serious sign, you know!"

"Actually... I... did something..." Lucia whispered after realizing what she did that drew Kaito to her. It was that one single day in the afternoon of the last day of school that started it all. "I sang... spontaneously... some weird surfing song... that got his attention..." _That's right. He liked my singing, even if everyone thinks I'm a loser for being spontaneous..._

Rina nodded in agreement. "That's true. I was with you when we sang. It was a lot of fun too. But at least we proved that even the coolest surfer dudes around are attracted to something else other than bikini or monokini-clad girls, right Lucia?"

Lucia smiled with a nod. "Thanks for sticking with me, Rina!" The two girls gave each other a hi-five while Hanon still remained in her usual crossing-arm pose.

"Fine, whatever," Hanon gave a slight chuckle. "For all we know you two will be breaking the stereotype barrier with the dudes out there. The real surfers out there would want to have a girl who possesses something special that would seriously hook them up."

Sara tapped Hanon, getting everyone's attention. "Well, we better head downstairs and wait for the guys to arrive."

The four girls headed downstairs quietly as to not disturb the rest of the staff in their sleep. Once they got to first floor they heard some working noises coming from the kitchen. When the girls got there they spotted the three surfer girls, Coco, Caren, Seira, and Noel, along with Nicola. The four ladies had been preparing breakfast for all of the girls present.

"Whoa!" Lucia exclaimed in surprise. "Why are you all awake?"

Seira waved happily to the girls with a smile. "We're making thermal breakfast baskets for you and the dudes! You'll be out at the beach training in surfing, right?"

"Well, yeah, but..." Lucia scratched her head when Nicola gave a wink to her younger sister.

"I heard from Sara that the Rainbowside competitors had been suffering through frozen dinners and they need their strength, especially for the tandem surfer boys," Nicola answered. She approached Lucia and embraced her tightly. "Oh Lucia, you're growing up so fast! Now you're going to be surfing for the first time!"

"Well, I'm not really surfing, I'm just riding along with Kaito on one board... I think..." Lucia scratched her head. Nicola slowly released her, still smiling. "Wow, Nicola, you seem so happy today!"

"Oh, I just have a good feeling about you today. But I'm still watching you, girl. I'll make sure that kid doesn't do anything horrible that would break your heart. If he drops you, whether if it's for love or for tandem surfing, he's gonna be in big trouble!"

Rina patted Nicola on the shoulder with a grin on her face. "Don't let this get in the way of your job as the manager, Boss. I'll do the dude ass kicking for you. I'll be sure to watch over Lucia for you while we're out there. It'd be easy for me because I'm only having my beauty pageant photo shoot."

"Oooh!" Coco, Caren, and Noel exclaimed happily. "So you're finally going to wear a hot bikini, Rina?"

"Hell no!" Rina responded with the same answer with her arms crossed. "I'm going for cute skirtinis, ladies!"

"'Cute'?" Caren's eyes opened wide in a startle. "Rina, 'cute' isn't even part of your vocabulary!"

"Modesty is the 'in' thing with beach babes today, Caren." Sara made her statement. "Rina will be the first beach babe to show that fact when she steps out at the stage. I mean, I'm pretty sure Hamasaki had other reasons why he convinced the dudes that Rina would be the one who will win the pageant for Nijibe, you know."

"Well, either way, I think we've got something good going on here for the tournament." Nicola made her statement. "I'm just glad that Nijibe found confidence and excitement with our local surf culture and are ready to shine in the surfing world again." She lifted her head, bringing herself in to contemplation. "I'll stand by the sidelines, rooting for all you girls, once the tournament begins. We'll bring our dudes and our surf culture to the top once again!"

The girls including Lucia fell silent, wondering what Nicola was babbling about at this point. Then Coco began to speak with blissful eyes. "Boss... you have no idea how what you said means so much to us. What I mean to say is that... us surfer girls of Nijibe had been long waiting for you to say something about our aim. Why we still continue to surf even after what had just happened? Because we want to restore Nijibe's glory in the sport of surfing, that's why. Plus we want to restore the Rainbowside again. We don't want that surf tribe to become non-existent in the near future, Boss."

"Girls..." Nicola sighed, realizing the more or less damaged she had done by becoming silent and disappear from the surfing world limelight. After the words Coco spoke a heavy feeling throbbed through her heart, reminding her that she still had to get involved somehow. Right now, all she was at this moment was a full-time supporter. "Well... I'm counting on you girls to back up the dudes and bring us to victory, alright?"

The girls cheered along with Nicola, knowing of their destiny was going to be once the tournament week arrived. During the cheer, Lucia heard a familiar ringtone coming from her purse. She left the girls at the kitchen and headed to the juice bar where she saw the phone number with no name flashing on her phone's external screen. Because the phone was unfamiliar, she hoped that the person calling would be the particular person who will be added at her top ten favorite phone list of her cellphone.

She opened her cellphone and answered. "Hello?"

"_Lucia, it's me, Kaito."_

_Kaito! Oh my gosh! _Lucia felt her heart throbbing rapidly again as she answered. "Oh, good morning, Kaito!"

"_Hey, you don't sound sleepy... are you fully awake or something?"_

"I woke up really early... maybe because of my excitement. The girls are up too, but can you and the dudes wait for awhile? Or maybe you can come inside and wait for us."

"_You sure? Your sister don't mind?"_

"Oh, Nicola's awake too! You see, we're..."

"_Well, if you want us inside, then we'll be there."_

"Great!" Lucia headed for the door and exited. She found Kaito right outside and across the street with a huge black bus conversion behind him. Lucia gasped to see the bus conversion and then waved at him. The two hung up their phones and decided to speak in person. "Wow, what's with the bus conversion? I thought we're going to practice at this beach, Kaito!"

Kaito placed his cellphone back in his pocket and approached Lucia so he can be a lot closer to her. "We are. The dudes are at the beach right now setting up our spot. This thing behind me is Hamasaki's family bus conversion. Pretty slick, huh?"

"I bet! It looks bigger than the ones at the S-Cube!"

"Well, we needed the bus conversion for the tandem boards. It's not like a shortboard or a longboard where we can carry it around our arms while we walk. Tandem boards are a lot longer than the two of our heights combined, so even if you stand on my shoulders while I'm holding up the board it'd still be taller-- and longer--- than the two of us."

"Oh!" Lucia blinked in surprise, scratching her head slightly. "I thought it was just a standard longboard like the ones in the DVD and all..."

"Ha ha!" Kaito chuckled and from out of the blue he caressed her chin with a finger, which made Lucia's heartbeat throb even faster. "You're funny, you know that?"

"Kaito--- you know I'm not exactly an expert at tandem surfing since I'm not too familiar with it compared to individual surfing from shortboard to longboard and..."

The surfer boy still had his finger under her chin, making Lucia gulping in nervousness. "If it's a standard longboard, then the tandem pair has no chance of winning, let alone having a steady lift formation while still remaining on the board. That's why tandem surfboards should be way longer than a standard longboard; about ten feet--- or three hundred five centimeters--- long. The most recommended length should be around twelve feet or three hundred sixty-five centimeters long because it's the most stable."

"Ah, I see." Lucia made sure she planted these facts in to her head so she did not come out looking like a complete newbie. "Wow, then if it's long, then that means the board would be heavy too."

"Yup!" Kaito snickered, letting go of her chin and placed both hands on his waist. "The board isn't just designed for two people to ride on, it's also designed for two people to carry it out to the beach. Since it's a hassle for us dudes to carry those boards we decided to travel in style. Besides, a tandem pair would look so good to everyone's eyes if they're spotted carrying their board together, you know? That would mean you'll have to help me carry our board, hm?"

"Of course!" Lucia nodded in agreement. "Surfboards nowadays are getting lighter, so I'm sure that the tandem board would be light for two people to carry."

"You're catching on, girl. Good job. Think of tandem surfing like a novel or a movie or something. In Tandem Surfing, you're the main character. I'm the supporting character." Kaito winked while Lucia grinned happily, trying to hide the constant blushing of her cheeks with it.

"Wait... why am I the main character?"

"You're the main character because you're the one who's going to show off your grace and beauty that would make the two of us look good while riding the surf. I'm the supporting character because I'll be the one holding on to you and lifting you up, carrying you while you strut your grace to the world, plus I'm the surfer between the two of us. When we paddle out and ride a set you'll be my front person while I'll be the one behind, guiding you and holding on to you..."

"Oh..." Lucia suddenly covered her cheeks immediately just as Kaito leaned closer and then whispered to her ear.

"And if you want to be more specific... it's just like when two lovers are _making love to each other _in bed---"

"Eek!" Lucia almost jumped up in a startle as Kaito burst in to laughter again. "Okay, okay! So... what are we gonna do today besides learning how to surf on the same board?"

Kaito halted his laughter and began to think. Afterwards he answered: "Well, I was thinking after lunch that we can go around town and search for a good surf shop to sponsor us."

"Eh?" Lucia blinked curiously. "But what about your current sponsors, Kaito? I mean, don't they provide your surfboards when you're out competing, right?"

"Well yeah, I have sponsors, but they only support my individual events. They all have no clue that I'm competing in tandem too. I can't just talk to the sponsors and tell them to support us too. We have to prove ourselves to these big-time sponsors that we're not just competitors but champions as well. Right now we'll have to do manual shopping here."

"Oh, I see..." Lucia sighed. "I heard tandem boards are really expensive... like... almost a hundred thousand yen for one..."

Kaito leaned against the wall of Pearl Waters right next to Lucia and placed both his arms behind his head, relaxing. "Yeah, tandem boards are the most expensive in the surfboard market. They're pretty hard to find too because as a surfboard shaper you're going to need a lot of material and extra labor to paint and decorate it in order to build one standard tandem board. They're the same shape as longboards with rounded noses and slightly rounded tails and overall elongated oval shapes except that they're just longer--- or taller if you stand it up. Tandem guns are the most expensive of all because they take awhile to actually shape."

"Tandem... guns...?"

"Yup. They're designed for major big-wave surfing. Not very many common surfboard labels shape tandem guns so we may probably going to find a custom shaper to design one for us. It's gonna cost us an arm and leg but don't think about the cost. I'll deal with the money issues. You just need to help me help the shaper shape us the perfect tandem gun for the tournament. I'm thinking we'll get two--- a standard tandem board and a tandem gun. We'll even have to name them too."

"Name them?"

"Yup. Because at some tandem surfing competitions we're called by the name of the tandem board that we christen with rather than your name and my name."

Lucia chuckled at the fact. "So, I'm guessing the rules for this tournament that we'll have to _christen _both our boards because that's what they're going to refer to tandem surfing teams, right?"

"I'm worried about this _Dainami-Oni _report that's been mentioned several times at the surf forecast radio lately. That's why we should get two boards because we'll never know what type of set we're dealing with when we are called out and ride our surf. In individual surfing I'm carrying two boards as well--- a tri-fin short and a tri-fin gun--- because ocean conditions are always unpredictable."

"You're right. For all we know there probably wouldn't be enough wild surf to ride on during the tournament and they'll have to postpone it until we get enough strong swell rolling in, right?"

"Haha, yeah. It'd suck if the tournament had to be postponed to a later date... I mean we won't have enough time to actually participate because school starts a week or two from the tournament week and I really don't like concentrating on surfing too much during school."

"What are you worrying about, Kaito? You've got one of the best grade point averages throughout our entire class! And you don't seem to have any problems training in surfing on school days during the past years or so..."

Kaito snickered and answered. "School is getting harder, you know. Once we get to senior high school there'll be a lot more homework, a lot more projects, and a whole lot more. When that happens I'll have less time surfing and going in to competitions during school since they always happen here and there. Maybe I may even have to quit surfing for a few months or so because of school. But I'll worry about that later..."

Lucia fell silent, feeling a little worried about what may happen to them after summer was over. She began to worry that they may probably stay as _summer friends_ and they go back to their usual lives in school. Now that she learned that Kaikane was Kaito's childhood _surf nick_ according to last night it would be really heartbreaking if that ever happened when they head back to school.

"Kaito... can I... ask you something?" Lucia gulped, feeling a little shaky as she was going to ask this question.

"Sure, what's up?"

"Um... I know this is a stupid question and all but... is there such thing as _summer friends_?"

Kaito raised an eyebrow of curiosity, wondering what Lucia was muttering about. "_Summer friends_? Uh, I know _summer lovers_, but _summer friends_? Sure, that is if you are on vacation at a faraway place every summer and you've got friends you only meet in the summer there---"

"No... I mean... _summer friends_ between people who live in the same town. They hang out with each other in the summer but when they get back to school--- they go to the same school, let's say--- they go back to their usual crew of friends again and they don't speak to each other anymore during school until summer next year..."

"Dude, what the hell are you babbling about?" Kaito chuckled with a snicker on his face. "_Summer friends _when they live in the same town and going to the same school but they don't hang out with each other in school? If that happens, dang, then one of those two is seriously wack."

From out of the blue Lucia embraced Kaito at that moment and held him tight to her. "Kaito... can we still be friends even when we're in school? It's just that... I'd feel so lonely if we go back to how we were before this summer... Please?"

Kaito laughed once more and also placed his arms around her waist the same level as her arms around his neck. "Jeez girl, you make it sound like I'm gonna be leaving town or something and you don't want me to leave! Why the hell would I want to go back to how it was before this summer?"

"I... I don't know... it's just that..." Lucia closed her eyes shut to prevent any tears from falling from her eyes. _Now that reminds me... I know he's Kaikane, but... but does he know I'm Leolani...? I don't think he knows or even recognized my voice last night..._

"Dummy. I like being with you, Lucia." Kaito whispered these gentle words to her, once again making the teen girl blush more. "I don't believe in _summer friendship_. There's no such thing anyway. Once you meet someone you like and enjoy being with, then that's real friendship. If it's a guy and a girl it may... well, you know."

"Oh Kaito! For some reason whenever you say something nice to me it just makes me happy in some way..."

"Erm, okay... Glad I can make you happy."

The two release from each other as Lucia stuck her pinky finger to him. "Pinky swear?"

"What the hell...?"

"Please, Kaito...? You promise through a pinky swear that we'll always be friends no matter what!"

Kaito still felt unsure about what Lucia was trying to do but decided to follow along. "It's a promise, Lucia." He hooked his pinky finger on to hers as they both shake each other's pinky fingers as a sign of a promise made. At that time Kaito had his own thoughts in his head. _Pinky swear to be friends forever? Friends are always forever to me, pinky swear or not... Weird girl._

After they released their fingers from each other the rest of the girls exit with breakfast baskets and even a large cooler of drinks. Hanon led the group of girls when she spotted Lucia and Kaito right next to the door talking and grinned. "Well what do you know! The two lovers are having a simple ren-dez-vous while they wait for the morning sun to rise at the ocean!"

Lucia blushed heavily and sighed nervously. "Hanon..."

Kaito raised an eyebrow of suspicion towards Hanon and snickered with a wink. "Man, Hanon, you look dang hot and sexy in that getup of yours."

"Ah!" Hanon gasped and blushed heavily immediately. "Dang you Kaito! You still manage to make me blush even if I'm so over you... You really think I'm hot and sexy, Kaito?"

"You know when it comes to chicks in wild bikinis I just can't lie. You really are smokin' hot today, babe!" Kaito continued to snicker with his thumb and pointer under his chin. "Nagisa's seriously gonna faint because of the heat you generate with that thing on!"

"Oh, you're awful, Kaito!" Hanon shrieked angrily and gave a slight humph away from him. "I'm not wearing this for Nagisa, mind you!"

"Really? Then why are you wearing _that _then? Are you trying to be the female version of me or something?"

"Oh shut up, Doumoto! If I were going to get some attention I'd wish it'd be either Taro or Rihito---"

"Oh-ho! Ha ha ha!" Kaito burst in to laughter again as he headed his way across the street and towards the beach. "You really crack me up, Houshou!"

Hanon gritted her teeth in chagrin when Rina patted her on the shoulder. "That Kaito... he can be so mean and cruel sometimes--- seriously, Lucia, what the heck do you see in him anyway?"

"Hanon, I already told you several times that I see---"

"Oh, don't fret, Lucia," Rina interrupted with a smirk on her face. "What about you, Hanon? What the heck do you see in Kaito that got you to dating him for one week, huh?"

"Ugh, Kaito Doumoto and I are _so over_, Rina! Lucia can have him, seriously! Her sweetness and her smile is gonna help him actually behave like a real gentleman!" Hanon declared, looking very miffed at the same time.

"Okay, okay," Coco interrupted, getting the girls' attention. "We better head to the beach now before the breakfast wraps get cold."

"Let's go!" Lucia waved at the girls and led them right across the street. As they headed to the beach, Nicola watched them from the main window of the lobby, watching the girls make to the beach safely.

_Mom... Dad... watch over Lucia and the girls... would you? I'll be sure to watch their back as long as I'm alive._

A few minutes after setting up and changing their outfits to the appropriate attire, the tournament surf team were ready to begin practicing. They took a quick shower in Masahiro's bus converter shower stall so they do not feel a sudden freeze once they get in the water. Rina, on the other hand, appeared in a flowery dark blue and green skirtini for the photo shoot set by Masahiro. She was a bit shy at first as she exited the bus converter but once she stepped out, she met Masahiro up front along with the young, handsome, and athletically-built photographer standing next to him.

"Whoa!" The photographer gasped to see Rina appearing before his eyes. "Dude... you didn't tell me your entry to the beauty pageant would be the hot and sexy Asuza Jinnai, man! Are you like back together again or something?"

"Who?" Rina responded with a blank stare on her face.

"Oh!" Masahiro shook his head and corrected the photographer. "No, this isn't Asuza Jinnai. Her name's Rina Touin. She's a schoolmate at my school. Most of the kids consider her the biggest tomboy in town."

Rina raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "Yeah, whatever. So you're the photographer who's going to take some shots of me in this dang getup."

"I'm Kousuke Shinoyama," the photographer introduced himself promptly. "Sorry about the mistaken of identity. I'm actually one of the major-named photographers in the fashion media industry and worked closely with Masahiro Hamasaki's mother and the staff of _Posh Mode _magazine. I was also the photographer for the cover of this month's _Posh Mode _magazine with Asuza Jinnai as the model. I'm sorry, Miss Touin... it's just that you look so much like her."

"Heh, wow, so that model chick at the cover of _Posh Mode _does have a name. Asuza Jinnai, eh?"

"Eh? Hamasaki didn't tell you? He was his ex-girlfriend, broke up two months ago---"

"Ahem." Before the photographer was about to continue, Masahiro interrupted and changed the subject. "Well, the sun's almost up so I think we should get started with the shoot."

"Ah! Sorry about that. I didn't mean to rant on and on!" Kousuke Shinoyama, the photographer for this session, chuckled nervously while Rina became slightly suspicious on Masahiro. "Well, let me set up a few of the props before we get started, Miss Touin."

_Why that jerk--- is that the reason why he picked me for the beauty pageant? Because I looked like his ex-girlfriend? _Rina sighed deeply, feeling slightly upset from within, but she needed to focus. "Well, just let me know how to pose since I ain't familiar with all these photo shootin' posing stuff."

"Don't worry, I'll guide you through, Miss Touin," Kousuke reminded her as he set up his camera equipment. "All you have to do is be yourself and feel yourself more natural when you do the poses. Don't look nervous or anything. Just make yourself look natural."

"Alright. That'd be cool." While setting up, Rina did not change her facial expression on her face once she learned about Masahiro's possible real reason why he chose her for the tournament's beach pageant segment.

Meanwhile while the individual surfers were out at the sea riding their waves, the three tandem surfing pairs gathered around along with the massive eleven-feet tandem longboards they lent from Masahiro. They were doing a few warm ups and exercises together with Gaito leading the exercise session.

Lucia appeared with the wetsuit she borrowed from Nicola while both Hanon and Sara appeared in slightly skimpy yet appealing bikinis lined up just slightly behind the boys. Hanon was still a bit upset with Lucia appearing in a simple wetsuit for tandem surfing practice. "Lucia, I can't believe you showed up wearing a wetsuit..."

"What's wrong with wearing a sweatsuit?" Lucia asked curiously as she did her cherry picker stretches in the usual counting pattern. "There's no rule in tandem surfing that says you had to wear a bikini just to tandem surf!"

"The waters are unusually warm at this beach for some reason this year," Sara joined in the conversation. "Usually when the water's warm we go out there in bikinis and swim trunks like what the boys are wearing right now."

"You're such an oddball, Lucia! Everyone on scene right now are really looking hot and smokin' right now--- except you! You and Kaito should be like the star tandem couple of the tournament and you're showing up looking like a total _kook_?" Hanon continued to make her own complaints.

"It's only practice, Hanon, not like some idol agents pass by the beach and get interested in you becoming an idol just by riding the surf in a bikini... Besides, Kaito suggested I wear a wetsuit, so there!"

In the meantime during their exercises the boys began to have their small gossip. "Kaito! What's up with this? We're not even symmetrical!" Nagisa exclaimed in concern of Lucia's rather conservative-like getup for this morning's practice.

"What's not symmetrical, dude?" Kaito asked curiously while he continued to do his waist twisting.

"I was looking forward to seeing Lucia in a bikini for once..." Nagisa chuckled nervously while Kaito quickly gave him a glare. "Wait, Kaito, I didn't mean it in a perverted way--- I meant I'm curious how Lucia would look like in bikni, that's all. Hanon is closest to Lucia and I'm surprised she hasn't convinced her to wear a bikini yet!"

"Chill, Nagisa," Gaito answered, "today's only tandem surf practice, not the actual tournament. We'll deal with the attire when the tournament is nearby."

"Besides, Lucia never surfed before and I think with a wetsuit she would feel a lot safer and more comfortable." Kaito added his own statement. "I'm not gonna force her to wear something she'd be uncomfortable of wearing... though I admit... I'd like to see her in a bikini one of these days too... but I can wait."

Nagisa nodded in agreement. "Every girl is different, Kaito. That's what I learned. We can't say they all like one thing and all... But even then, I think each girl is special."

"You two... thinking about girls while warming up. What the hell's wrong with you two?" Gaito snickered, overhearing the two, just as they were finishing up their warm ups.

Moments later, the three pairs made their next agenda. They carried their chosen tandem longboards and laid it on the small stands right at a shady area of the beach with the board not touching the sand for the time being. While Hanon and Sara already knew what they were going to do, Kaito began to show Lucia what the first thing they should always do before they head out to the ocean.

The new tandem surfing pair sat next to both ends of their tandem surfboard with Lucia sitting next to the nose and Kaito sitting next to the tail. He opened his backpack and brought out two circular objects wrapped in plastic.

"Here, Lucia. This is a fresh, unused one. Catch!" He tossed a small circular object wrapped in plastic and with a light scent of coconut coming from it.

Lucia was very alert this morning and quickly caught the object. "What's this?" She wondered curiously and noticed the label on one of the sides. The name itself almost lost her balance in shock. "What the—- _Sex Wax_?!"

"Haha... ya like that, don't you?" Kaito laughed with a wink of his eye.

"You perv! What the heck did you just toss at me?"

"Hey, don't be fooled by the label, Lucia, it's _not _what you think!"

"But--- what the heck does this mean? What is this thing? I mean come on! '_The best for your stick'_? That sounds so wrong, Kaito! What kind of girl do you think I am?"

"Take the plastic off and touch it."

"What? I'm not gonna touch... um..." Just as she was going to continue she noticed the other two pairs who were distracted by their rather interesting conversation.

"Lucia, it's a fresh block of surfboard wax, dummy!" Hanon exclaimed while snickering at the same time. "Just ignore the name!"

Lucia frowned and removed the plastic wrapping and the label, following what Kaito had just told her earlier. She began to feel the surface of the object and detected the light coconut smell. "Hey... the surface is kinda... it's like matte candle wax!"

"Well duh! It's a surfboard wax. That _Sex Wax _thing is the premier choice of surfboard wax by professional and recreational surfers around the world. It has a really good, sturdy formula that can provide secure traction between your feet and the surface of the board. First thing every surfer should always do is to make sure they equip their board, starting with waxing your board. Back in the old days, they had to chalk them first before they apply the wax. But today with a more improved industrial strength for both the waxes and even the surfboard surfaces, we don't need to chalk them."

"Oh!" Lucia blinked curiously and learned another fact about surfing. "It smells like coconut."

"Haha... yeah. But I wouldn't deal with the scent since it'll fade away once you go out there at the ocean. It'd end up smelling like sea water anyway."

"So, what do I do then?" Lucia asked, still staring at the coconut-scented white wax on her hand.

Kaito took his current used wax and began to rub the wax on to the surfboard. "Easy. You just rub the wax on to the entire surface of the board. Wax as much as you can because you're going to need it, but there's a way to do it."

"There is?"

"Yup. You won't use up all the wax if you use this method I'm about to show you, but because we are dealing with a ten-footer tandem surfboard we may need two waxes to use. First, you start from your end and press the wax very lightly on to the surface perpendicular to the length of the board. Make one pass first, then do it at the adjacent direction from your end and downward. Do this about three times until you see a bit of white coating on the surface. You want that because that guarantees the major traction that's going to give your feet when you're riding your board."

"Oh, I see! Man, this is a huge board, so it makes sense to have two people waxing it!" Lucia began to rub the wax on to the board slowly, making sure there was enough wax from every spot of the board's surface. "Hey, this is going to take awhile."

"It'd take a longer while if you're waxing it yourself, so I'm glad you're here with me, Lucia." Kaito winked while Lucia returned a small smile and a bit of blushing on her cheeks.

The two began waxing their board from their end up to the middle using the method Kaito showed her earlier, taking their time when they can. Once they reached the middle they hit both their waxes at each other, knowing they just hit each other. They gazed slowly at each other and Lucia found herself blushing again.

"Oh... um... I guess we're done?" Lucia answered quickly before Kaito noticed her blushing cheeks. Unfortunately for the blonde girl, the alluring surfer boy did notice the blushes on her cheeks, in which made him feel a lot more proud of himself and his powerful charm over girls. Even if that was the case, this was not the right hour to flirt.

"Yup. I think we've got good, solid coats of wax for the board. For shortboard surfers they would usually have an optional traction pad at the tail of the board to give a more secure and sturdy posture while you're riding your wave. I use traction pads sometimes but in surfing tournaments I usually surf without one. Since we're using a longboard we're not going to use a traction pad."

Lucia stared at him blankly, becoming a bit more curious about the basic parts and equipment for a surfboard. "But... but I'm a _noob kook_, Kaito! I need that traction pad!"

"Lucia, I said _shortboards_. You don't need them on longboards because they're safer and more sturdy. In the case of a tandem longboard, you'll be at the front and I'll be right behind you. Besides, if you're so worried about falling off, you shouldn't. I'll be _your _traction pad."

"Oh... um... of course... you'll be behind me... right." Lucia lowered her head, knowing her constant blushing of her face was truly uncontrollable.

"I told you before, Lucia. If you stick with me, you won't fall."

"Thanks, Kaito, for keeping me relaxed."

The pair placed the leftover wax in to Kaito's bag and both noted that the other two couples were already running towards the ocean with their boards. Lucia gave a slight frown. "Hey--- how could they wax their boards that fast?"

"Don't worry about them, Lucia. A lot of surfers get really lazy with board waxing as of late sometimes. They just want to get out there and catch their wave to ride on without even thinking about safety precautions. I think Gaito and Sara are okay. Nagisa and Hanon--- not sure."

Lucia stood up from her spot and began to watch the other two pairs already paddling themselves to the ocean in a certain position. Kaito carried the tail of the board as a start. "Okay Lucia, let's get a little closer to the sea and carry this board there."

"Awrighty." Lucia picked up the nose of the board as they carried it just a few feet away from the wet sand. They sat the board flat on the sand while Lucia gazed at Kaito curiously. "Hey... how come we're not paddling out there? We got the wax and everything!"

"Lucia, I think it's best if I show you a few of the basics before we get out there. It's safer if we do it on land."

"Oh? There's more? Like what?"

"Like how you paddle your board once you find your surf."

"Wait--- there's a way to paddle your board?"

Kaito chuckled and gave a nod. "I don't know how Gaito and Nagisa taught their girls how to paddle their board out but I noticed that the girls' arms were outward when they were paddling out to the water. That's kind of unsafe because the board will be swaying side to side when they do that and they'll lose some of the balance before they can even stand up on to the board. Luckily it's a little different on a tandem longboard since it's a lot sturdier and have more balance."

"So, there's a way to paddle your way to your wave?"

Kaito demonstrated the proper position on riding the board, with his chest up and his feet a few inches from the tail of the board and his arms aligned against the board's rails. He moved his arms forward and backward straight with his arms tucked against the rails, using the rails as his guide to move his arms forward and backward like climbing on a wall with bare hands. After the demonstration, he had Lucia do the same, helping her get on the right position and guided her arms to paddle forward and backward straight, making sure her chest is raised away from the board's surface. At first Lucia was slightly wobbly and her arms were spreading out as a habit. She felt that rubbing her arms' skin against the railing of the board was somewhat awkward as it may drag her arm.

"Keep your arms tucked against the rails, Lucia. It'll take some time to get used to, but since we'll be on the same board you won't have that problem."

Lucia contemplated at first on what to do, then practiced her basics on getting used to paddle her arms forward and backward without spreading her arms out. "Like this...?"

"There you go. You got it!"

"I did it! Yay!" Lucia cheered happily as she rested herself by lying on the board, relaxing for a few moments.

"Good job, Lucia. Okay, I'm getting on now." Kaito climbed on to the board and positioned himself behind her, creeping slowly closer to her. "Spread your legs wide so I can position myself, Lucia."

Lucia gasped once she heard the request and called him out. "You pervert--- you want me to what? Spread my legs?"

"That's what I said, Lucia," Kaito confirmed. "Open them a little bit so I can have space to paddle."

"B-but... what are you going to do?"

"Just spread them..."

"Oh man..." Lucia gulped nervously and slowly spread her legs wide. Quickly Kaito moved himself forward so now his upper body was right over Lucia's lower body. He placed his arms around her while he kept his chest away from her. He did the same position as Lucia with the exception of the legs open slightly. While Lucia still gulped in nervousiness Kaito began to explain why he needed to have her spread her legs apart for a bit in order to have space for his position.

"K-Kaito! Y-you're... you're... on me..." The nervous girl turned her head to him, where she noticed he was right there, just some inches apart from her. "Oh man..."

Kaito snickered and winked. "This is why tandem surfing is recommended for lovers, babe. Who knows what can happen to us after this, hm?"

"Kaito, you perv... is this your way of picking me---"

"Haha... dang, girl, you assume too much already! Remember how I informed you that in tandem surfing, you and your partner have to stay close together as much as you can. In that way the transition from one pose to the next would be easy and quick. If we're too apart we'll be wiped out before we could even do the lifts. Remember, let me be your traction pad."

"But Kaito--- this is just too embarrassing! People would be watching!"

Kaito whispered, trying to calm her down and relax. "Right, people would be watching, but they won't be watching us like this because this is nothing compared to what we're about to do as we ride the surf back to the shore. They care more about our skills than anything else, so relax. Besides, if you notice the other two couples of there, they're doing the same position."

Lucia glanced to the sea and noticed Nagisa and Gaito with the same position with their partners while paddling their boards to the sea. At the same time the way they paddled was completely synchronized for faster, more streamlined acceleration to the breakers. She sighed afterwards, knowing that the Kaito she was with right now was the professional surfer, not the boy who loved to tease and flirt. If this was the procedure then she would have to follow suit.

"When two people paddle, we have to pretend that we're rowing a boat. When you're rowing a boat, you and the rest of your crew have to row simultaneously in the same direction in a matter of patterned time. Since I'm the surfer and you're just taking a ride with me, let me be the driver of the car. All you have to do is relax and listen to me, okay?"

_Kaito's right. He's the surfer and I'm just a passenger. Well, since that's the case I have to do this right._ Lucia took a deep breath as Kaito got up from his position. She followed Kaito and stood up from the board as well. "Wow, I had no idea there's so many basic techniques that we have to master before we can actually paddle out to the ocean."

"Well, at least now you know what to do. Shall we give it a try, Lucia?"

Lucia was startled immediately and turned her head towards Kaito. "You... you mean... we're paddling out to the ocean?"

"The swell looks good for first timers. Let's get going!"

Lucia turned her head to the ocean again and noticed that the swell was not as huge as the ones she was used to seeing. Then quickly turned to Kaito to make her comment. "But... don't you think the surf's a little too calm for anyone to ride on it?"

Kaito could not help but to chuckle at Lucia's slight naivete at the sport but at the same time her unawareness made him feel like the important part of this newly-formed tandem surfing team. "Well, the surf's kinda dead for us pros, but for tandem surfing, this is perfect. You ready?"

"Mm," Lucia nodded. "Let's go!" The pair made their way to the ocean with Lucia remembering and performing the basic techniques Kaito taught her earlier. Just before they headed out to the beach, Kaito provided Lucia with special earplugs for her to wear. This would prevent the ear from becoming infected with a certain kind of condition known as _Exostosis_, or in a more familiar term, _Surfer's Ear_.

After a good hour or so the photo shoot was finished for the time being. Though the photographer, Kousuke Shinoyama, was satisfied with the shots he made of Rina posing at different spots of the beach for her entry to the tournament's beauty pageant, the model herself had something else in her mind. She gazed right at Masahiro and the photographer about the photo shoots and at the same time she still had that one fact she heard from Kousuke before the shoot.

"_Dude... you didn't tell me your entry to the beauty pageant would be the hot and sexy Asuza Jinnai, man! Are you like back together again or something?"_

"_Eh? Hamasaki didn't tell you? He was his ex-girlfriend, broke up two months ago---"_

Rina admitted to herself that she had gotten used to being with Masahiro around, even if they were just exchanging small talks with each other. She also admitted that Masahiro was indeed one of the school's--- or maybe even the beaches'--- hottest guys around, ranking close to the Doumoto Twins or even the young surf instructor Subaru Shibatani. She learned a bit of Masahiro's background from the Doumoto Twins, mainly that he was from quite a prestigious, successful family with his mother being the editor-in-chief of the well-known _Posh Mode _fashion magazine. That would only mean that Masahiro had access and connections to the world's hottest models who appeared in many of the classy _Posh Mode _magazine issues. Even if that was the case she admitted that he was not doing anything to her except to be his true self. She felt somewhat influenced by Masahiro's confidence about her becoming the town's entry for the tournament's beauty pageant. She used to hate wearing anything girly or deal with anything girly, but at this moment she felt like dressing up in to something feminine, not so she could change her way, but her reason was a lot deeper than that.

_Masahiro... I can't believe you... I know you said I looked like that model, but I never realized you were actually involved with her... close to her... I wonder... if you missed her... maybe that's the reason why you picked me for the tournament. I really appreciate everything but I can't... I just can't be like her... that Azusa Jinnai model girl... I just can't..._

Right at that point Rina hid her face by lowering it to her hands, covering it so no one would see her reaction after hearing that piece of information from the photographer. After a few moments of taking a breather she lifted her head and gazed towards the raging ocean. She spotted the three tandem surfing couples already surfing the waves. What she was impressed the most was Lucia riding the longboard with Kaito behind him. They were not doing any fancy lifts at the moment knowing this was the first time Lucia actually surfed and Kaito knew he had to be careful with her.

Despite of what she had seen she sighed sadly and lowered her head once more. _I'm proud of you, Lucia... you're lucky you're with someone you love the most. Looks like Hanon and Nagisa are beginning to get to know each other now. Gaito and Sara? Not much comments. They're together._

She shook her head, trying to clear out these thoughts from her head. It was not like she and Masahiro were dating or anything, but somehow this one piece of information about his past love life was somehow poking the most sensitive parts of her heart. She knew in her life that she had never fallen in love with anyone before, let alone having a crush. She was always independent who only had her family and friends involved in her life and knowing that one fact she did not need anyone else who would make her happier than she was right now.

How she became a look-alike of one famous model was definitely coincidental. She knew it was not her fault for being born to be a look-alike of a well-known model and she knew that she could not blame any _Posh Mode _magazine devotee to mistake her for Azusa Jinnai. She also did not blame Azusa Jinnai for being a look-alike at the same time. But what she wanted to know now was the story behind Azusa Jinnai and Masahiro.

_Why is his past love life bothering me so much? Is he dating another girl currently? I always wondered since he always hung out with the Rainbowside dudes... then again I can't say the same with the rest of the Rainbowside dudes either. But... what's this feeling of pain that I'm getting?_

Before she knew it she felt something wet about to form on her eyes. Quickly she closed her eyes to prevent any more wetness from forming. _No. I can't cry like this. Come on, Rina, you never cry at anything! But... I just don't want Masahiro to look at me as some kind of a substitute for a love he lost to that model. Then again, it's not like he'd be interested in me anyway since I'm not rich or famous like all his past girlfriends. They told me he has very high standards when it comes to girls. Who am I kidding? After the tournament is over, we'll be back to our usual selves again in school, with him hanging out with the tribe and hanging out with those same popular girls and he and I would never talk to each other again like this summer..._

Just as she was about to let go of those tears from her eyes she heard a familiar voice calling for her from behind. "Rina!"

Quickly she lifted her head, wiping off the tears quickly to be sure they were not seen. She turned to her left side to see Masahiro waving at her. She greeted him once he got to her. "Oh, hi Masahiro."

"I've been looking all over for you." Masahiro sat on the space next to her. Just as he was about to continue he noticed the wetness on her eyes and changed the subject. "You've been crying. Are you alright? What's wrong?"

Rina softly chuckled nervously, trying to keep her usual cool. "Oh, my eyes? Nothing really. Sand just got in to them and you know how the eyes work. Ha ha!" Though she was able to find the right excuse for the teary eyes, Masahiro was not buying it.

"Oh I see. You've had that same expression throughout the photo shoot though and the wind's not strong enough to create a sand storm, so I don't think the sand's able to reach your eyes--- unless you actually fell and your face fell on the sand---"

"Alright... alright..." Rina shook her head, knowing that lying about what was upsetting her would not work on him. "If you really want to know, Masahiro... I'm not feeling very well right now. I admit that I was excited for the photo shoot that I worked so hard to seriously look good in them."

"I can see that and you look as beautiful as you've always been when I see you everyday."

Rina quickly shook her head and faced him directly. "That's just it. Who were you looking at whenever you say such a thing? Were you seeing someone else in me? Is it me you're describing when you said that I'm beautiful?"

"What are you babbling about, Rina?" Masahiro asked curiously, looking slightly desperate. Right at that point he realized what exactly she was upset about. He just remembered earlier when the photographer mistook her for his ex-girlfriend fashion model, Azusa Jinnai. Rina fell silent, not answering his question. He decided to take initiative at the situation. "Was it about my past with Azusa Jinnai, Rina?"

Quickly she answered him with another question. "Why didn't you tell me that girl on the magazine you showed me weeks ago was your ex-girlfriend? Masahiro, it doesn't work this way. You can't have a substitute like me to enter the tournament knowing we may win this thing just because I looked like a famous fashion model! Were you using me for your own entertainment? You really are a sick punk, you know that?"

"Wait a sec, Rina, let me explain---" Right then she scooted away from the dark-haired, athletic-build young man with her fists ready to attack.

"I swear to God I'm gonna kick your ass and bury your face down the sand for toying me around like this, you hear?! Just because I ain't one of those romantic type of girls that most of you dudes like to get with, that don't mean I got no feelings!"

"Rina, calm down... please." Masahiro hushed her softly, placing his hands around her fists. Rina was tempted to just sock the young man with all she possessed but somehow the tightness of Masahiro's hold on her fists somehow calmed her down. Slowly she placed her fists down and returned back to her relaxed position as Masahiro scooted himself next to her. "Hear me out, please..."

"Fine... make it quick before I lose my cool again..." Rina warned him as Masahiro began his explanation.

"Look... I didn't mention that she was my ex because I thought it wasn't a big deal. I've been single and not dating other girls, not even casually or temporarily, for almost a year, Rina. Azusa Jinnai may still be present in the magazine covers but to me she is nothing but faded memory."

"Masahiro, are you really sure you know what you're saying?"

"Rina, before we actually spoke to each other just early this summer I already knew of you since you moved in our school two years ago..."

"I'm not that surprised. Everybody knows me as the biggest tomboy in the entire town anyway--- heck, even the girls think I'm perfect to be in the drama club playing male roles!" She sighed deeply after mentioning that statement, then fell silent to give Masahiro a chance to speak.

"It's not just that, Rina. I've seen you many times at the gym working out, practicing your punches and always on the ring training in martial arts sparring as well as some light boxing. Somehow you working hard to know how to defend yourself really turned me on. I wanted to get to know you then but I was kinda shy to come up to you."

"Gym..." Rina blinked in curiosity and began to contemplate and see if she remembered anything about the gym she used to frequent. "Wait... gym... as in...?"

"Green Pine Boxing Gym and Spa," Masahiro answered the whole name.

"Yeah! That's it!" Rina exclaimed in shock. "Wait... how did you know I frequent that gym a lot? I didn't just go there to box and kick ass, you know..."

"I guess no one has told you yet." Masahiro replied with a slight surprise on his expression. "My father owns Green Pine Boxing Gym and Spa. The entire region considered it as the best gym for anyone, boxer or not, can come and get a good workout as well as its spa and aromatherapy services too. I used to go there every other day for my boxing training and light martial arts and I always see you there. I guess you could say that it's... it's..."

Rina somehow found her cheeks blushing and turned her face towards Masahiro. "You've... seen me... before?"

"I... I wanted to meet you back then but I was too shy... too scared... because you may see me as one of those rich and elite jerk punks who like to hit on every single cute girl they see. I even got intimidated with the rumors circulating that you weren't really interested in dating altogether. I don't know if my hopes of getting to know you, even if we stay just friends, was a lost cause for me. Because of that I had to find ways for me to get over you so I won't have to feel heartbroken knowing that one part of me wants me to come up to you and say hello while the other half wants me to forget about you and move on. Because of that I agreed with my parents to actually... pair me up with their inner circle's daughters and see if I'll ever fall in love with any one of them. Azusa Jinnai was close..."

Rina gulped nervously, feeling rather overwhelmed that this was the first time that a boy would come up to her and confess how he truly felt. She wanted to ask more questions, but instead decided to let Masahiro continue. "Close...? What do you mean?"

"I almost fell in love with Azusa Jinnai after a few days of getting together and just hang out. My mother introduced her to me and I was so overwhelmed by her beauty, only until later I realized why I was hypnotized by her so quickly."

"What was it?"

"I realized later on that I was just kidding myself. I dated Azusa Jinnai, close to even falling in love with her, only because she looked so much like you."

_What...? Is he telling me that all this time he's had a crush... on me? He went through all that just to get over me...? Only because of some dumb rumor that I'm not interested in dating and that I kick any guys' ass for trying to hit on me? Well... part of the rumor is right, only because most of the guys I've come across were all jerks and losers... but Masahiro Hamasaki is different. Never mind him being rich and that his dad owns Green Pine Boxing Gym and his mother being editor-in-chief of Posh Mode magazine... He really had so much confidence in me with this beauty pageant... and I don't want to let him down..._

"You... you still think I'm a lot more worthy than... than that fashion model?"

"I know. I was desperate, but I got over all of that. I can't forget you, Rina. I realized that during my relationship with Azusa. Sure, she looks like you, but she's nothing like you. After getting to know her real personality, that's when I realized that my relationship with her isn't going to last long. I can't stand clingy and demanding girls, not to mention picky with so many things and be a bully at other girls whom she thinks are not _worthy _to date any hot dudes around. Worse of all, she even flirts with other fashion model dudes at the _Posh Mode _magazine photo shoots behind my back."

Rina sighed, shaking her head. "I'm so sorry, Masahiro... I wouldn't know that there's actually someone out there who'd actually like me for... me... and doesn't care about the way I dress or the way I talk or the type of friends I hang out with. I'd never think that I would be the main cause of someone's broken heart. I'm sorry..."

Masahiro shook his head in return, knowing that none of this was Rina's fault. "I am not blaming you for my feelings, Rina. I ended our relationship with her after I've gotten tired of being played behind my back. Turned out she only wanted to date me just because I was the editor-in-chief's son, that my family is worth more than a million, one of the elite in the Nijibe High Elite. I'm not down with all that high-end elite stuff, Rina, despite of whatever you may have heard on the grapevine."

"Still!" Without even realizing it, Rina placed her hand on Masahiro's and held it tightly to her. "I know I'm sounding stupid right now, but it seems that deep inside your heart has been torturing you, making you go through all these things you never really wanted to do, all because of me. How was I to know that there were boys out there who actually like me for who I am and not because of my looks or whatever dumb rumors that was spread? How would I know if no one would tell me..."

"After Azusa I stopped dating for about a year now because I felt that dating random girls just so I can get over this inner torture was just dumb and a waste of time. I used to envy the rest of the Rainbowside dudes for getting the girls they were really interested with. Hell the guys used to make fun of me whenever I mentioned you in our usual talks, but when this New Annual Regional Surf Scenes Tournament came about and that there was a beach babe beauty contest in that tournament... You appeared in my mind again and I thought that this would be my final chance and be brave enough to come up to you and introduce myself..."

Rina felt nervous at first, but afterwards she felt a lot more confident as well as happy. She admitted to herself that she grew to like Masahiro and the fact that she would feel pain whenever she would hear about Masahiro being with another girl or seeing him talking to a girl much prettier than she was. Somehow when he chose her to be the beach babe representative to the beauty contest she even felt the soft, feminine side of her emerge little by little until today. She appeared with a skirtini on for the photo shoot, not only so the tribe can complete their tournament entry, but because she also wanted to make Masahiro proud.

"Masahiro... thank you." Right then, Rina placed her arms around him and gave him a simple kiss on the cheek, then placed her head on to his shoulder with her arms still around him. "I... I can't explain why I'm having these strange feelings. I've never felt so much pain in my life like this and I'm not even sick. Whenever I see you with another girl at the beach... or even a group of girls at the beach... or someone else talking about you with so-and-so of the day... I tried to play everything off and be cool about it, but who am I kidding? I guess this must be how it feels to be in love..." She lifted her head and gazed towards him, then sighed right then. "I know you've picked me to be our town's rep for the pageant and it's because of this... and because of you... I don't want to let you down and lose the pageant."

In an instant, Rina felt arms immediately around her waist and found herself closer to the boy next to her. "Rina... it doesn't matter whether you win or lose at the pageant. To me, you're the real deal, not a substitute. After the experiences I had with past girlfriends I realized now that no girl from the elite or even a celebrity or fashion model would ever replace a wholesome, independent, and beautiful girl like you. I think as of this summer... I think I'm ready to move on forward with the one I've always loved."

Rina found her eyes wet once more, but this time she let those tears go. "Masahiro... I want to be with you as long as I live. I don't know how... or why... but every time we're together somehow you fill up what was missing in my own personal puzzle. I don't know what I would do if we go back to the way we were when we head back to school... you and your popular friends and me with Lucia and Hanon as always... I don't want to go back to the way we were once this summer ends, Masahiro."

Masahiro gently caressed her back to comfort her, knowing she had a few tears dropping on his shoulder, and hushed her. "That won't happen. My question to you is this. Will you let me be a part of your life, Rina Touin?"

Rina released him from her hold and gazed at the waters again. This time she spotted Hanon doing a knee stand lift with her feet right on to Nagisa's upper legs. She looked quite graceful and elegant as well as her expression of pride and happiness. At the same time she also spotted Lucia and Kaito not doing anything fancy for the time being but riding their captured surf on the longboard with Kaito's arm around her waist while Lucia bent her knees in a low position so they can gain more speed. After glancing at the two couples out at the sea she knew that they were both in good hands. As for her, she was definitely in good hands as well.

"Masahiro, I reply to you with another question. Are you sure you really want to be with me?"

Masahiro held Rina by the chin and slowly turned her head to him. Right then he leaned closer to her up until his lips met hers. Though it was a quick, simple kiss as his answer to her kiss on his cheek, it was still something special for both. "More than ever, Rina."

"Masahiro... I love you so much..." Right then and there, the two closed their eyes and felt their lips on each other again. Only this time, the kiss was longer than the first two.

Meanwhile at the ocean, Hanon and Nagisa already performed two poses. One was called a basic knee stand, then transitioned the lift to the same position, except this time Hanon performed a reverse basic knee stand, in which she faced Nagisa instead of facing the direction where the surf was taking them. It was a difficult move for beginners, but certainly one of the most basics.

"Whoa--- Nagisa! Wow, this is awesome! I can't believe you got these lifts cleanly!" Hanon cheered while Nagisa smiled and winked at her.

"Hey, with a little practice and a little muscle I know we'd get them right." Nagisa answered with soft chuckles on his face.

Hanon slowly returned back to her original position on the board with Nagisa helping her down gently. Once Hanon touched the board the two were amazed that they were still standing on the board and not getting wiped out. "Hey! We're still standing, Nagisa!"

"That's a good sign, Hanon! I think we're done with the knee stands for the day. I think there's a few more tricks with the knee stand but I think we should learn them on land."

Hanon gave a thumbs up at him and continued to ride their way back to the shore. In the meantime, Gaito and Sara performed several higher-leveled lifts than Nagisa and Hanon, starting with a shoulder sit pose, followed by a shoulder stand. After holding those positions in about three to four seconds, Gaito quickly dropped Sara's legs back to her shoulder sit, which made both wobbled on the board a bit.

"Hey, be careful!" Sara warned her surfer partner while resting herself sitting on his shoulders. "We almost lost our balance!"

"Sorry... got distracted..." Gaito answered quickly and was now hanging on to Sara's legs so she would not fall. "Looks like Nagisa and Hanon mastered the basic knee stands."

"I saw a bit of it, Gaito. They're getting it!" Sara cheered for them.

"Well then, are we done for the shoulder lifts, Sara?"

Sara chuckled softly as she aided Gaito in to bringing her back on the board again. "Sure thing. I'm getting hungry anyway and we haven't had breakfast."

"You're the boss, baby!" Gaito winked as the two surfed their way back to the shore.

At that time, Lucia and Kaito rode the waves at all directions. There were no tricks or anything performed, not even the tricks that individual surfers would normally do. The new pair just rode their wave as is. In this way Lucia would get used to surfing along with an experienced surfer supporting her from behind. Though Lucia would usually blush whenever Kaito was very close to her, but at this particular moment her mind was more focused in to the ride with Kaito than to get nervous with his arm around her waist.

"Say!" Lucia broke the silence and shouted. "When was the last time you surfed with someone sharing your board?"

Kaito heard Lucia's question enough, despite of the tight earplugs on his ears. "Can't remember. It's been a long time..."

"How about now? How do you feel?"

"I feel really great, Lucia. You?"

"Wow... I've never imagined how extreme surfing is! It's like.. it's like... there's so much adrenaline pumping within me like there's no tomorrow!"

"Don't worry. We'll ride some more later today and probably tomorrow after your OC-5 rehearsals. You'll get used to it."

"Thanks so much, Kaito! Sorry I'm such a hopeless _kook_... thanks for putting up with me."

"With you? I don't mind at all."

"Thanks, Kaito. That means a lot!"

The pair was closing in towards the shore. On the land they spotted the rest of the surfers waving and cheering at them, just as the other two pairs already reached land. Moments later, they landed on shallow surface successfully without a single wipe out on the first try. They were encircled by the rest of the tribe for a successful first ride as a pair.

"I just followed what Kaito was telling me!" Lucia cheered with a huge grin on her face. "Wow--- that ride was just intense!"

Kaito hi-five the rest of the male surfers and made his comment. "It was on a longboard, so it's a little easy to maneuver and the waves aren't that wild enough for us to be wiped out. Lucia was very focused out there, so thanks, Lucia."

Lucia gave a thumbs up to Kaito. "I'm just glad I was able to do things right!"

"Well, Lucia, that's just the start of tandem surfing," Kaito made his first warning. "The intense stuff is still yet to come, but we can do the intense stuff later. I think we still need to ride more waves until you're used to the rushing feeling."

Lucia removed her earplugs quickly. "Man, I had no idea there were so many rules and techniques we need to know before we can actually paddle out to the surf! I mean, there's even a way to even paddle your board?"

"Haha, well that's surfing for you, Lucia!" Coco snickered while Noel and Caren chuckled along with her. "You hear all those kooks hanging around the beaches walking around town acting like surfing's the _in _thing that all the cool kids should get in to when in reality that surfing isn't for everyone. It's either you're daring enough to face the ocean or you appreciate it just by watching."

The surf tribe, sans Masahiro and Rina, gathered around at Masahiro's bus conversion for breakfast. Seira, who remained in the bus converter's mini-kitchen, heated up and prepared the breakfast s she and the girls of Pearl Waters made earlier today. The clock just stroke at six-thirty in the morning and stomachs around the tribe growled loudly in hunger.

"Man, I'm starving, dude!" Kengo announced his hunger pains as they all entered the bus conversion. "I hope we get _real _breakfast this time and none of those microwave breakfast trays!"

"Not to worry, dude, breakfast is coming!" Seira overheard Kengo's hunger call and answered. She brought out a tray of the wraps, ready to be served. "Okay dudes and dudettes, breakfast is here!"

"Yaaay!" The surfers, surfettes, and the semi-surfettes (we are talking about the tandem surfer girls) gathered around the dining area with towels around them to get their hair dry after their wild rides out at the ocean. While Seira served breakfast at the table, the tribe noticed something different among themselves.

"Yo!" Daichi broke the random chatter and everyone fell silent. "Where's Hamasaki and Touin?"

"I think they're still doing the beauty contest photo shoot or something." Noel said while she gazed at the digital clock at the wall of the bus converter. "Wow... we've been out since five in the morning and it's six-thirty-ish already. That sure is one long photo shoot."

"Well, they better get here or else there won't be any more breakfast wraps left!" Daichi crossed his arms, waiting impatiently.

Once everyone got their plate of their breakfast wrap the group began to think of a good topic to talk about while they enjoy their wraps. Gaito broke the ice first. "Well then, since we're all here while Hamasaki is busy with Rina and that photo shoot, any buzz we can chat about?"

"I got one!" Quickly Hanon raised her hand, gaining everyone's attention.

"Jeez, Hanon, you sure are quick when it comes to gossips!" Caren giggled. "Where the heck do you get these gossip and rumors bit, girl?"

"She probably listens to the _Nijibe Youth Talk Corner _at mornings on the radio or something," Kengo shrugged his arms. "Hey, no shame listening to it! They always have interesting stuff to talk about!"

Kaito shook his head, resting himself against the chair. "Just great... I gotta listen to this and see what kind of crap they're making a big deal of this time..."

Hanon cleared her throat, gaining everyone's attention and silence. "Okay, who here was listening to RNBW-FM radio last night?" Quickly the entire tribe raised their hands. "Wow--- everyone did?"

"Well yeah!" Nagisa exclaimed cheerfully. "It's _Young Lovers' Night_, girl! Can't miss that!"

"You all know what today's big buzz is gonna be around the Nijibe youth scene--- the two lost lovers, Leolani and Kaikane--- I think I pronounced the names right."

The rest of the tribe reacted in excitement with the exception of Kaito and Lucia. Kaito's eyes opened wide in shock to hear Hanon mentioning his secret surf nick while Lucia suddenly choked on her breakfast wrap, coughing rapidly while Coco patted her on the back to help her clear out her throat. Hanon wondered curiously about Lucia's reaction.

"Are you okay, Lucia?" Hanon asked curiously while Lucia reached for her glass of water and drank rapidly.

"Uh, yeah... I'm fine. Almost choked there with this wrap... heh... heh..." Lucia laughed nervously while Kaito remained silent by sipping his own glass of water.

"Anyway!" Hanon giggled and began the discussion. "Who would have thought that two destined lovers since childhood finally found each other on that radio show? I mean, that's just so sweet and romantic! And the fated reunion is going to take place at Sector 7 beach, which we all know as the beach we're standing right now--- that dude Kaikane said so!"

"The problem is," Coco joined in with a giggle, "that dude didn't even tell that Leolani girl _when _he's gonna be at Sector 7 beach today!"

"Both of them will have to show up very early if they want to have this reunion a private affair, you know!" Caren added her statement. "I mean, I can bet you a million smackers everyone in this town is gonna make a big deal of the whole Leolani and Kaikane lost loves thing like there's no tomorrow!"

"Well, think about it, you guys!" Hanon continued on. "I think those two need help! I mean, what if they don't recognize each other, you know? There's no way kids are gonna remember their faces in one day anyway... There's just no way! They're gonna have to ask every kid around the beach to see if they know how they look like and all that! As the competitors division of the Rainbowside Surf Tribe, it's our responsibility to fulfill every person's hopes of love with that special someone! Why? Because it's our destiny!"

Kaito raised an eyebrow of suspicion, wondering what exactly Hanon was really talking about. At the same time he had to be careful knowing that none of the girls seem to know of his exotic old surf nick. He also had doubts that none of these girls even know who his lost love Leolani may be, however, judging by Lucia's reaction he was having a feeling that she may be suspicious. "What the hell kind of a dumb philosophy you're trying to preach, Houshou? I don't recall the Rainbowside being a bunch of matchmakers..."

Coco raised her hand and interrupted. "I swear, I think the tournament should add more events. Why is there only a beach babe beauty pageant, man? Why not have the beach hunk pageant where we get to see the region's hottest dudes--- surfer or not--- of the beach, you know? Nijibe's got plenty of hot hunks every girl would dream of dating one day--- tee-hee!"

"Oh hell no..." Kaito responded with disgust on his face. "Are you chicks insane? We're professional surfers, not male strippers, jeez! Don't make us look like a bunch of eyecandy sissies in front of all the scary fan girls, dude!"

"Dude, that's just dang sexist, Kaito!" Coco expressed her response. "Why is it that when it comes to surf scene tournaments there's always going to be a female beach babe contest and never a male beach babe contest? I mean, is that all that you empty-headed morons see in us girls whenever we're at the beach? Serious outrage, man!"

"Hell, we should even have the Cutest Beach Couple Contest too! In fact, we should name it the _Leolani and Kaikane _cutest beach couple contest! Name them in the honor of today's lost lovers, you know? Maybe that contest would definitely help the mysterious Leolani and Kaikane find each other and reunite!" Hanon made another idea, which even disgusted a few present.

"Dudes!" Caren called out the males present. "Why aren't you saying something about this? I thought you guys listened to last night's radio show?"

"Don't worry, Caren, we did listen to last night's radio show together at home." Gaito answered the impatient Caren. "We just don't have much opinion about it except it's yet another good radio show with good people sending love dedications to their lovers, crushes, and whoever. Although I have to admit... that _Leolani and Kaikane _bit was a little interesting..." Quickly he turned to his twin, knowing the fact that they were just talking about his twin brother and his long lost childhood love. "Isn't that right--- Kaito?"

Kaito almost found himself choking with the wrap he just chewed on, then quickly swallowed what was in his mouth before he answered. "Uh, yeah... interesting. Right..."

"So, what do you guys think?" Hanon asked the males excitedly. "I think it's the cutest idea ever!"

"Yeah! It's gonna be so adorable that we'll show to all the beach side towns and other surf scenes in the region that true love in Nijibe truly exists!" Coco gave her input as she and Hanon exchange hi-fives.

"Hey, that'd be awesome!" Kengo gave his own input. "In that way all the dudes who don't care about true love would actually learn something from this cutest couple contest thing!"

"I don't know about that idea, Hanon..." Lucia answered with a slight worrying tone on her voice. "I mean... couples always like to be alone whenever they share their true love for each other. Most couples I know of don't like to kiss or hold hands or do all the usual stuff that couples do... you know?"

"Eh?" Hanon raised an eyebrow, looking curious at Lucia's reasoning. "Why not, Lucia? I thought you're in to the romance stuff?"

"I know, but... what if... I mean..." Lucia needed to be careful about not being too obvious of her long lost surf nick as well as Kaito's identity at the same time. "It's just that... what if both Leolani and Kaikane are both shy to even admit they're in love in public? I mean... no one's for sure if they're really going to be together once they see each other again... it's like... what if Kaikane turned out to be some really hot cute guy and Leolani grew up being all plain and not very pretty and when they see each other that Kaikane would be turned off by her and break the poor girl's heart? That would be so embarrassing for both of them when the public witnessed them, especially that they declared their love for each other on the radio last night..."

"Hey, what makes you think that I..." Right then Kaito paused and changed his tone before he ended up blurting out his identity. All eyes turned to him. "Well, I think... uhh... Kaikane wouldn't do something like that, Lucia! What if it's the other way around? What if Leolani turned out to be this really hot chick and Kaikane turned out to be just a simple-looking, average nerd dude and Leolani became turned off by his boring looks? That's just seriously messed up if that happens---"

"But Kaito, how do you know that Leolani is a _hot chick_?" Lucia retorted immediately, subconsciously defending herself. "I mean, if Leolani doesn't like average nerd dudes then she wouldn't be calling in the radio show last night and sing that song to him, letting him know that she wants to see him and that she loves him, right? She took a risk in calling in and never thought of how Kaikane looks like today. She really wants to be with him... I can just tell by the way she said those words..."

"Whoa, whoa, Lucia, how do you know that this Kaikane dude is some _really hot cute guy_ and Leolani is just an average girl? You watch too many TV dramas, girl... Not all nice, romantic dudes are _really hot cute guys _like you said earlier, so don't get your hopes high."

"Kaito, not all nice, romantic girls are _hot chicks_! Besides... uhh... we don't really know what type of people those two are..." Lucia gulped nervously right when she realized that the entire tribe had been silent, listening to her and Kaito argue about each other guised in their surf nicks.

"Yeah..." Kaito sighed deeply, slightly turning his head away. "You're right about that. We don't really know what type of people Leolani and Kaikane are... now..."

"It's really sad... they're... they've been apart for so long... seven years... imagine that... who would have thought there are kids like those two who really do believe in true love with the same person they fell in love with the first time? Who would have thought they'd even hear from each other again... who would have thought..."

"Who would have thought..." Kaito repeated the latter statement as he and Lucia fell silent, contemplating about what had just happened last night.

The rest of the tribe still remained silent as they turned their heads to each other in curiosity. Just then, Hanon broke the silence. "Lucia! Kaito! What the heck is up with you two? I'm surprised you two are really in to this lost lovers mystery! Leolani and Kaikane... their story should be made a legendary tale of Nijibe, seriously! That's why I still think we should have _The Leolani and Kaikane Cutest Couple Contest _in the tournament!"

"Are you out of your mind, Hanon?!" Kaito immediately shouted in annoyance. "Lucia already said that real lovers in general would rather be alone than to show off their signs of love in public. Besides, the tournament is primarily a surfing tournament. Don't make it in to a general beauty contest--- we already have one general beauty contest! We don't need a _hot hunks _contest and most certainly not a _cutest couple contest _using the Leolani and Kaikane names. They're still alive, you know!"

"Ugh, you're always the party pooper, Kaito!" Hanon whined in chagin after listening to Kaito's annoyed complaint. Just as she was about to continue her argument they heard the bus converter's door swing open and then entered the newly-formed couple in secret, Masahiro and Rina. Once they entered, both were holding hands, and without realizing, the rest of the surf tribe noticed that small gesture.

"Yo, what the hell..." Masahiro spoke, noticing that the tribe were already eating breakfast without them. "I hope you _hodads _and _hodettes _actually saved some for us..."

The surf tribe still remained silent, not just noticing their hands held together, but the slight flush on Rina's deep red cheeks. Seira, who was sitting along with the group, passed two freshly-heated breakfast wraps to the two, yet at the same time she still stared at them in curiosity.

"What? What are you all staring at?" Rina demanded an explanation regarding their silence.

After a few moments of silence, Hanon broke the silence again, except with a happy giggle. She jumped off her seat and embraced both Masahiro and Rina together. "Oh my God! You must be the mysterious Leolani and Kaikane! You're like holding hands and blushing and everything! Congratulations, you two! You've finally found each other!"

Masahiro quickly released himself from Hanon, looking curiously at Hanon right then. "Excuse me...?"

"You--- and Rina!" Hanon cheered happily. "Alias Kaikane and Leolani! Like Kaito and Lucia said, if those two were to find each other I'm sure they want to be alone... and you two came in looking like you're so in love with each other and with your hands holding each other—- Eeee! So cute!"

"What the hell, Hanon? I'm _not_ Leolani, you idiot!" Rina answered to clarify things but it was too late.

In an instant, all the girls except Lucia gathered around the new couple while the rest of the surfer boys stared at the situation blankly and strangely. Nagisa turned to Kaito with a slight concern on his face.

"I'm surprised those girls, especially Hanon, didn't suspect you, Kaito," Nagisa whispered on his ear.

Kaito shrugged and gave a slight snicker. "Eh, just leave them alone. They found their missing mysterious lovers, Leolani and Kaikane! Let them enjoy their moment."

Nagisa shrugged his arms in return as the boys continued to witness the girls giggling their stupidity out at the wrong couple. As for Lucia, she sighed sadly, not because of the identity mistake, but the fact that Kaito did not seem to recognize her as his long lost love, Leolani. Regardless of how Kaito may have responded, her heart still reminded her that he and Kaikane were definitely one in the same.

She stood up from her seat while the special moment was ongoing on the scene, making her way out of the bus conversion. Kaito noticed his tandem surfing partner heading out and stood up from his seat, following her from behind.

"Hey, Lucia, wait!" Lucia stopped once she heard Kaito's voice calling for her. She turned her head and gazed at him curiously. "Where you heading out to?"

"Oh, I just need to take a walk by the beach, that's all." Lucia hoped to be alone during this walk but at the same time part of her heart was getting jumpy, hoping Kaito would join her.

"Can I walk with you?" Right after the question, that part of Lucia's heart leaped for joy. The blonde girl smiled happily to him in return.

"Would you? It'd be nice to have company... but are you sure you want to take a walk with me by the beach today?"

Kaito raised an eyebrow of suspicion. "Why the hell are you asking that?"

"Oh, because I want to walk along the shore, not _run_ along the shore, Kaito. What if those fan girls spot you again? Not to mention those crazy DJs from that weird _Nijibe Youth Talk Corner _radio show too..."

Kaito reached for his usual backpack, then gently took Lucia by the hand and decided to lead themselves out of the bus converter. "Today is _Kaikane and Leolani Day_, Lucia. That would mean everyone would be making a fuss about those missing lovers today and everyone will ignore me."

Lucia followed Kaito's lead out of the bus converter. Still in their wetsuits, the two let go of each other's hands and began walking side by side at the shore. Once they got there they noticed some usual beach goers and other surfers already arrived at the beach. The sun was completely out and it was the beginning of the real morning.

"Wow..." Lucia chuckled softly, trying not to think about Kaito not being able to recognize her as the one who rescued his life during childhood. "I can't believe Hanon and those girls think that Rina and Hamasaki are Leolani and Kaikane! Say Kaito, did those two confess their love for each other earlier, which was why they were late for breakfast today?"

Kaito shrugged his arms. "Weird things always happen at photo shoots like that. I had to do a few photo shoots myself for those eyecandy surfing magazines in the past before and seriously, anything can happen."

"Yeah but... Rina and Hamasaki? Who would have thought they'd be together?"

"Heh." Kaito smirked. "The dudes and I already know Hamasaki had been checking out Touin for awhile now but the dude's been too shy to ask her out. Instead he uses the beauty contest as his way of getting closer to her. Who would have thought that."

"But I thought Hamasaki has high standards when it comes to girls?"

Kaito softly chuckled, realizing now what Masahiro meant by _high standards_. "I think he wanted to get a girl who has the same personality as Rina, but as people say, there'll never be any other girl than the one you truly love, right?"

Right when she heard Kaito's latter statement she slightly turned her head from him and sighed deeply. "Yeah... if only that's true..."

"What are you mumbling about now?"

Lucia felt a jolt of surprise that almost caught her off-guard with Kaito's curiosity. Even up to now she still had high hopes that Kaito would figure out that his one true love from childhood was just right next to him today. "I... uh... what I mean to say is... I wish it's true for everyone, you know? Not just certain people."

Kaito walked ahead of her and faced himself to her, walking along backwards. "Hey. What the hell do you mean by that?"

Lucia stopped walking, knowing Kaito would not leave her alone with more curious questions about her somewhat empty statements. "Well... like... I don't know... for example... what's happening to Leolani and Kaikane now... Even if they found each other through that radio show last night they still don't know how they look like now. I mean, sure, Kaikane said he always hangs out here at Sector 7, but at the same time there's so many people here. What if Leolani... isn't a regular at the beach?"

"Well... what if she isn't a regular at the beach? At least he gave her the location of where he would be." Right then Kaito felt a lot confident that his reunion with his childhood love would definitely happen at this particular day. The only problem right now was Leolani herself. How would she reveal herself to him?

"But what if... what if she couldn't find him?" Lucia gulped nervously, feeling convinced Kaito did not see or recognize her as the girl who saved his life then and the girl he shared his first kiss with. "The poor girl... she'd feel like she was stood up..."

Kaito raised an eyebrow, now becoming a lot suspicious at Lucia's odd behavior at this whole Leolani and Kaikane bit. "You're getting all emotional about this, Lucia. Why are you making a big deal about all this?"

_Because I happen to be that girl, Kaito! That's why! _Lucia sighed deeply and lowered her head, trying to keep her cool at this critical situation right now. _Why... why can't I tell him that I'm Leolani? What's wrong with me? Why can't I tell him?_

"Kaito, it's just that... I mean... what if that girl was me...? And... if I were that girl I would feel so heartbroken if I wasn't able to see him at the beach today... I'd probably run around like a crazed fanatic asking every single dude in this beach and see if they're Kaikane or if they know Kaikane..."

"Ha ha ha..." Kaito burst in to laughter again and patted Lucia softly on the head. "Jeez, girl! I never knew you'd get _this _emotional about people who's got nothing to do with you! You're seriously one of those weird fan girls who are deeply in love with a love that doesn't exist, especially if that love got nothing to do with you!"

Lucia sighed deeply and lowered her head again, avoiding Kaito's eyes. _I knew it... you don't recognize me anymore, Kaikane. You'd just laugh at this entire thing like it's nothing to you... aren't you, Kaito?_

"Hey, hey... what's with the sad look, girl?" Kaito made note of Lucia's lonely expression on her face as well as hiding it from him. "Come on now, you know I was just kidding, Lucia..." Right then he stepped closer to her and placed his arms around him. "Hey... come on... stop that..."

Lucia realized she was losing control of her emotions, knowing the fact that the boy she loved for seven and counting years was just standing in front of her, embracing her tightly to him as if he had no intention of letting her go. She closed her eyes just as she folded her arms underneath his shoulder blades, resting herself against his chest.

"Kaito..." Lucia murmured her words.

"Yeah? You okay, Lucia?"

"Can we... stay like this... for a little bit, Kaito...?"

Kaito found his cheeks blushing right when he heard those words. Though he was unsure himself, he decided to play along and tightened his gentle grip so Lucia would feel secure. "Sure thing, Lucia. Let me know when you want me to let you go..."

_Kaito... I don't want you to let me go..._ Lucia closed her eyes, making herself comfortable against his chest. A few moments passed and the teen surfer felt a sudden jolt within him as he held the sighing teen girl in his arms. He felt an aura of familiarity at that instant moment in which he felt something refreshing within him.

_Dammit... why is it that I don't want to let go of her even if she asked me to...? _Kaito closed his eyes, trying to get these thoughts out of his mind as much as he can. _No, Lucia... I want you with me like this and I don't know why I feel this way... I'm not sharing you with some other goons... never..._

_Kaikane... at long last I found you after all these years... _Lucia felt her inner voice speak in her mind. She never felt so warm and comfortable ever and she felt that being in Kaito's arms at this point gave her the feeling of being home. _When I'm in your arms, I feel like I'm home, but... you still don't know who I am..._

Just as the two felt they were melting at each other's arms they heard a slight fainting ringing bell sound not too far from where they were standing. It was unfortunate the two would have to let go of each other, just because they were curious about that tingling sound. They release each other and turned towards land to see where that bell sound came from. Lucia spotted a huge white truck parked at the curb with the early beach goers crowding around. There were doors that opened upward, showing off a counter booth with some people in cutesy colorful uniforms appeared behind the booth. On display were different spouts and paper cups and bowls neatly displayed on the left corner of the counter along with plastic utensils and napkins. On the right counter were trays of tidbits that may be used as toppings. On top of the door was the truck's name: _Fresh Colors Mobile Frozen Desserts_.

"It's our first grand opening today!" One of the uniformed workers called out through a loud speaker. "Come one, come all to our new self-serve _Fresh Colors Mobile Frozen Desserts _for your thirst quenching needs on this very hot and dry summer day!"

"Wow!" Lucia gasped in surprise to see this white truck selling frozen desserts. "I've never seen that before!"

"Hey, I've seen their ads on TV the other night!" Kaito exclaimed with a slight chuckle. "Wanna go check it out?"

"Sure!" Lucia cheered happily as Kaito led her to the truck with his hand on to hers. Right then, Lucia realized they were holding hands, which made her blush a whole lot more. _He's... holding my hand? Man... we're like a couple! It's not fair... why are you being so nice to me when you can't even recognize me as Leolani? Unless you decided not to wait for me anymore and move forward with me as Lucia... still... why won't you look at me the same way you looked at me when we first met seven years ago...?_

Once they got to the white truck the crowd was trying to get to the spouts for their first taste of whatever dessert treats this truck may provide. From the looks and enthusiasm of those who were at the booth first there was no way those who just arrived would be able to move forward and have their turn.

"Wow! Look at all these people! They must be very thirsty for some ice cream!" Lucia giggled softly. "That's awesome then! Unfortunately we don't sell ice cream or some kind of frozen dessert at Pearl Waters except for juice and iced and frozen drinks for those who don't feel like eating ice cream..."

Kaito turned to Lucia right away and made a suggestion: "I got an idea. This is where _star power_ plays in. Why don't you wait at the back. I'll get the treats for the two of us."

Lucia shook her head quickly. "Oh no... Kaito, my purse is at Hamasaki's bus converter! I don't have any money to pay for mine."

"My treat. Don't worry about it." Kaito gave a winked as Lucia slightly blushed. "You can make it up to me by singing me a song."

"Kaito... well... I'll do what I can..." Lucia waved at him as he sneaked through the crowd, knowing the crowd would easily let him through thanks to his overwhelming _star power_. Right then, she sighed deeply again, still wishing in her heart that he was permanently his. It was bad enough that Kaito still did not see Lucia as his missing love named Leolani and even if it was tempting for her to just straight out tell him of her own surf nick but at the same time she did not want to scare Kaito. She thought that maybe finding her own path to his heart would be the only way for him to recognize her finally, starting today.

The worker girls at the truck cheered and screamed happily to see Kaito approaching through the front while the crowd--- also mostly female--- also began to crowd around him. At that point Lucia began to worry. "No... no... they weren't supposed to surround him like that... Kaito... how are you going to go back now...?" What also made the situation worse was those same DJs who attempted to gain an interview with Kaito yesterday at the library had to appear on the scene as well. Once again Lucia felt alone and lowered her head, sighing. She turned around, not rather watching the crowding of the hot surf champion Kaito Doumoto at this point.

_What am I gonna do now...? If we do end up together--- well I still do want to be his girlfriend one day--- and then these people are always going to be hanging around him like that then what's gonna happen to me...?_

"Something the matter? You don't look too happy." At that point, another young male voice spoke directly towards Lucia. The voice startled her and looked up to see who it was.

"Oh... who... are you?" Lucia did not recognize the one who just spoke to her. In front of her were two young and athletically-built teenage boys in wetsuits--- one with shaggy blonde hair and the other, tall and definitely handsome, dark spiky hair.

The tall blonde approached Lucia with enthusiasm on his face as Lucia slowly backed away from him. "Waiting for your turn to get some iced treats at that truck but there was no way for you to get in front?"

Lucia quickly shook her head. "Oh, don't worry about me, I was just waiting for my friend to buy me my own cup."

"Ah I see," the blonde continued to speak. "That's just fortunate. I was thinking of buying you a cup--- my treat, you know?"

Lucia chuckled nervously and responded. "Thanks, but that's kinda awkward of you to buy something for a stranger---"

"Ha ha... well we're talking now, aren't we?" The two boys chuckled at Lucia's response. Moments later they ended the laughter. "Well, I guess you got a point there. My dude here and I are actually out of town but we're competitors for the surf scenes tournament that's coming up soon right here at this beach."

"Oh, really?" Lucia smiled humbly. "Welcome to Nijibe then! Where are you dudes from?"

"Seiyo Valley." A jolt just hit Lucia within, knowing that she was just having a friendly conversation with the tribe's arch rival. She knew she had to keep cool and not overreact.

_Oh great... Seiyo Valley surfers... are talking to me... and in front of the public too--- and with Kaito around too... I'm dead! _"Ah, I heard of that place. Really huge surf scenes culture over there... heh!"

"Well anyway, let's skip the place compliments," the blonde chuckled. "I'm Kousuke Sakiya, last year's champion in the tri-fin gun competition of the regional championships. The dude with me is Johnny Kawamoto, current champion of the Seiyo Valley surfing tournament."

The spike-haired boy approached Lucia with the rather charming grin of his. Despite of his attractive looks, Lucia still looked indifferent. "Nice to meet you. Man, it pains for me to see a cute, innocent girl looking so sad just so she can get a cup of ice cream..."

Lucia raised an eyebrow of suspicion and responded. "Oh no, I'm not sad at all. I'm just worrying about these people not even bother to fall in line and wait until the other's finished... and now I can't even find my friend within that crowd..."

Johnny snickered and said "Kousuke and I can sneak through the crowd easily, especially that we got some hot chicks crowding around there. We know how to handle them, you just don't worry."

"Ha ha... no, that's okay. My friend's already there. Don't waste your money on someone like me!"

"Oh, but we insist!" Johnny still pursued Lucia's attention with the offer while the girl was definitely nervous in front of the two rival surfers.

"No thanks, really. Go ahead and get through the line or else you won't have a chance!" Lucia still attempted to fend off the two, but both boys were still approaching her with enthusiasm. Just as things may get worse, the scene was interrupted by a more comforting voice from behind the boys.

"Well, well... if it isn't the two champions of last year's tournaments--- Seiyo Valley's Kousuke Sakiya and Johnny Kawamoto. Long time, no see!"

"Huh?" The two rival surfers turned their heads to see their common competitor standing behind them. "No way--- Kaito Doumoto?"

"No, I'm the other twin, Gaito." Kaito snickered in sarcasm as he passed through them with two cups of sundaes with plastic cover cups on them. "Nice to see you here in Nijibe territory, by the way."

Johnny stepped up towards Kaito with a rather confused look. "Well... okay, Gaito... where's your so-called champion twin, huh? I thought Sector 7 is his territory?"

Kaito gave a quick confused look, wondering if Johnny Kawamoto got the joke, but decided to play along, avoiding himself from chuckling. "As every single prominent surf tribe should have, the competitors only do their training at our designated S-Cube. You dudes should know that fact--- unless if I'm wrong."

"Ha!" Kousuke Sakiya jeered in pride. "Us True C-Blue Tribe-sters of Seiyo Valley don't need any S-Cubes for us to train. We're not afraid to show off our pure skills to those who want to be amazed!"

"Right, right..." Kaito answered, crossing his arms and still snickered. "No wonder you dudes spend more time trying to make yourselves look good than actually ride the mighty waves. That's just unfortunate. The surf at Sector 7 is awesome today!"

Lucia quickly moved away from the two Seiyo Valley surfer boys and stayed right next to Kaito with a smile on her face. "Well, my friend's here and so is my frozen treat!" Kaito handed the covered cup of frozen yogurt along with a plastic spoon to Lucia.

"Sorry, I wasn't sure what you wanted because there's so many flavors to choose from, so I picked vanilla for both of us--- smothered with fudge and topped with other good stuff." Kaito said with a grin on his face.

"Dang!" Johnny exclaimed, staring at Lucia. "I didn't know you were friends with Kaito--- I mean... the Doumoto Twins! Well, okay, the other twin too."

"Oh! I'm friends with the other twin too!" Lucia cheered happily. "But I got mad props for you Seiyo Valley surfers for having such huge contributions to the greatest water sport around!"

Kousuke gazed at Lucia, examining her from top to bottom, and by judging by the wetsuit she had on, he already had an assumption. "You a surfer girl too, babe?"

"Babe?!" Lucia exclaimed in shock and was ready to throw a fit towards the shaggy blonde surfer. "Not all girls are _babes_, you know! I got a name!"

"Now, now, no point in getting mad--- Leolani." Right at that point, Kaito mentioned Lucia's surf nick and winked at her, which completely startled Lucia right then.

_Wait... he called me Leolani...? Does that mean Kaito knew all along that I was... his..._ Before she ended up drifting away from reality she decided to play along. "Oh... but why... Gaito?"

"You'll need all that energy for the tournament, right? Right now, you're the sweet and nice Leolani that everyone knows..." Kaito pointed with a grin on his face. "Since you're looking for my twin, I'll be sure to let him know that you're looking for him."

"Well yeah!" Johnny exclaimed. "Sakiya here made a deal with him a month earlier that whoever wins this entire tournament gets to have his girlfriend...uhh.. Sara, I think... was her name?"

"You idiot! Why the hell did you tell him that?!" Kousuke exclaimed in nervousness. "No one's supposed to know about all this!"

Lucia's eyes widened in confusion as Kaito continued the conversation. "Oh, so you are the dudes behind that stupid bet... ha ha ha ha!" He burst in to laughter for a few seconds, then halted. "Man oh man... you dudes have no idea that those two are competitors too—- tandem surfing."

"Oh yeah?" Kousuke exclaimed with a tightened fist. "Kawamoto and I and our own hot partners will be in that tandem surfing and we'll make sure we'll crush that pair when the time comes!"

"Oh, I wouldn't be so confident. You still got Leolani and I to deal with." Right then, Kaito placed his arm around Lucia's waist. "We're going to rock the entire ocean so bad that Poseidon and Triton are gonna be bowing to us like royalty, baby! Right, Leolani?"

"Uh... yeah! That's right! We'll rock the tournament with the aid of Amphitrite and Thetis on our side! Who says girls can't be competitive with the wild surf?" Lucia stuck her tongue at the two surfers, which somewhat baffled the two.

"Well then! Since I'm going to be at the tandem surfing contest too, let's make a bet," Johnny made a proposal, which made Lucia shiver nervously. "If any one of the pairs from either our tribe or your tribe takes first place, the winner of the individual male surfing contest gets to have a kiss from the tandem surfer girl partnered up by the rival surfer. In other words, let's say your twin, Kaito Doumoto, has his girlfriend Sara as his tandem surfing partner---"

"Eh?" Kaito and Lucia blinked in confusion, trying to figure out what Johnny was trying to propose.

"Moron... I'll make the bet here!" Kousuke exclaimed and turned to both Kaito and Lucia. "Whoever wins first place at the tandem surfing contest gets to kiss any tandem surfer girl of his choice, which also includes his partner--- in public! How does that sound?"

Lucia quickly shook her head and said "I don't think it's a good idea--- I think it's a really stupid idea---"

"Deal!" Kaito snickered as he and Kousuke shook hands. Lucia sighed deeply and lowered her head. "I'll keep that promise as long as you do your own part of the deal."

"It's a deal then!" The two surfer boys agreed while Lucia shook her head in disagreement.

"Typical dudes! Is that all you jerks think about? Making bets to see who gets to be the best surfer and then kiss whoever girl they wanna kiss? That's just disgusting!"

Johnny gave a wink towards Lucia. "Oh come on now, girl. The best thing about living the surf culture is that you get to have the prettiest babes and the hottest dudes more than any other type of social culture you could think of!" Right then he advanced towards Lucia and tipped a finger under her chin. "There's nothing I would want out of this tandem surfing contest than a kiss from you..."

"Ew! No!" Lucia backed away from him quickly as Kousuke pulled Johnny slightly, making their way out of the area, leaving the Nijibe tandem pair at that same spot. She turned to Kaito angrily with her fists tightened. "Why did you agree with them? Are you saying you don't mind kissing some other girl just because of some stupid bet? I mean, I can tell by your eyes that you're confident enough to win the contest! I'm still a noob kook--- what if we lose? That means some dude who wins first place is gonna kiss me..." She sighed deeply and a voice spoke in her mind. _No... I don't want some other dude to kiss me... why can't Kaito give me my first kiss? At least if that happens I wouldn't be as nervous or as concerned as I am right now..._

Kaito took Lucia in to his arms and whispered on her ear. "Trust me on this one, Lucia. We're going to win this thing. If not, let's hope Nagisa and Hanon or Gaito and Sara would win first place. In that way, they get to kiss their own partners."

"But... what if we do win? Who are you going to kiss?"

Kaito snickered and hushed. "Sorry, but that's a secret."

"What? Kaito! You mean you don't mind some goon would just come up and kiss me if we don't win?"

Kaito whispered more words that would calm her down. "Lucia, when you're in trouble with losers like Sakiya and Kawamoto just now, come to me, okay?"

"Come... to you...?"

"I'll protect you, Lucia. That's why."

_Kaito... I can't help it... I just want to shout out how much I love you so much, but right now I'm not very happy about your stupid bet with those Seiyo Valley punks..._ Lucia sighed in relief and leaned her head against his chest as Kaito tightened his grip around her.

"Now eat your vanilla sundae before it melts."

"Oh! Oh... right." Lucia quickly released herself from him and began to eat her frozen dessert. They found their usual rock formation spot where they would normally hang out at night and claimed their spot once again. They both enjoyed their bowls of vanilla sundae while their usual chatter continued.

"Wow," Lucia chuckled softly as she nibbled. "When are we gonna go out and surf again?"

"Later this afternoon," Kaito answered immediately. "We're eating and we need to wait at least four to six hours for the food to settle down to ensure none of us gets seasick when we're out there paddling for some waves."

Lucia gulped nervously, feeling slightly shaky. "Kaito... I don't want any one of those Seiyo Valley jerks ever lay a hand or lip on me. I can't believe you actually agreed with their stupid bet. All of a sudden you're all showing off to yourselves that you can do whatever you want with whatever girl you want to get with. And you even involve me in it too... Who do you all think I am?"

"Hey, listen, Lucia," Kaito began his response. "I don't want any of those Seiyo Valley True C-Blue Crew or whatever the hell they call themselves ever lay a finger on you either. I only made a deal with those losers so I'll be able to protect you from punks like them."

"Wait a minute, Kaito, how are you going to _protect _me? I mean, if we win you'll have to end up kissing some girl you get to choose among the tandem couples! And if we lose and one of those two win then I'll end up getting kissed by some loser... it's still a lose-lose situation!"

"Call me self-centered, but I'll tell you now that victory will be ours. I'll deal with the kissing problem some other time if that time comes, alright?"

"Still... you're all treating me as if I'm some kind of buried treasure or something! I don't like being treated as some prized object!"

Kaito sighed and placed his bowl on the surface. He turned his attention towards Lucia and continued. "Think of it as this. Those Seiyo Valley goons are greedy treasure hunters and you're the buried treasure. I'm the guardian of the treasure. If they really want to get to you, Lucia, they'll have to get through me first. Besides... if we're not serious about winning then the only hope that we can have is that those two couples and us would have to lose so we won't have to kiss anybody."

"Yeah. I think that would be better..." Lucia nodded in agreement. "But that's not who you are, Kaito. I know you. You are one of the most elite of all of the elite surfers in the world and you refuse to lose because of that stupid bet. As a competitive swimmer myself for our school team during spring season I'd take the competition more seriously than that stupid bet!"

Kaito gently patted Lucia on the cheek, accompanied with a small smile. "You know, this is why I picked you for a partner. Aside from Tomboy Touin, you're the only girl I've known in this entire town who'd share my competitive spirit in my sport. If I asked any girl at random she'd only be in it just to get with me. So... thanks for being my partner."

Lucia returned the smile. "Thanks for choosing me. You can count on me, Kaito. I won't fail you!"

At that point, the tandem surfing pair did something for the first time since their meeting weeks ago. They complimented each other by gently striking their pumped fists at each other as if Lucia was a fellow Rainbowside surfer. After their pumped fists, they finished the rest of their dessert in their paper bowls.

"What's with the Rainbowside greeting?" Lucia chuckled while she gazed at her right fist.

"You're practically a surfer already, except you're sharing your board with someone. Plus, you've got that really hot champion surfer as your partner and a prominent member of the Rainbowside, right? You're pretty much a Rainbowside surfer as of today."

"You are so conceited, Kaito Doumoto!" Lucia broke in to a soft laughter while Kaito just snickered. Right then, thoughts came to her head. _Conceited or not, you still are the sweetest, most lovable guy I've ever met, Kaikane... You really do seem to be like Prince Charming... I mean, isn't surfing a sport of Hawaiian Royalty, right? I wonder if you've got Hawaiian royal blood yourself--- though that's pretty much impossible..._

Hours passed and at Pearl Waters, Maki and Taki had been experimenting with new recipes to be added to their special menu at the kitchen table. Taro and Rihito were back at the rehearsal room, arranging their scores and writing more songs on time for the surf bands contest. Nicola was at her bedroom, preparing herself after a long shower this morning. Hippo, on the other hand, was online in the Internet, checking his emails and reading his usual surfing-related message boards, most notably the official _Surf Scenes _magazine forums.

Just as he was reading through the forum topics he stumbled upon a particular topic that interested him. The subject title read: _Searching for Cole Seahart_.

_Eh? Cole Seahart? _Hippo clicked on the link and read the message in there carefully to see if there were some sort of libel in there.

_Hello to everyone in the Surfer Styles magazine forum community. My name is Mamie Matsumura and I'm a 16-year-old student from Nijibe. In just a few weeks, my little sister Momoka, at age 12, will be dying to Leukemia. Though we know that there was nothing else we could do to save Momoka, she asked for one small wish that she would like fulfilled._

_There was no other place I could go to online except here because Momoka is a huge fan of surfing, and because of that, her one wish that she would like to happen was to see her biggest surfing idol, Cole Seahart. She was only 5-years-old when that Dainami-Oni incident happened but despite of that she saw that history in the making moment with Cole Seahart riding the Dainami-Oni wave and earned her victory in the female surfing contest 7 years ago. After the incident we all know that Cole Seahart disappeared._

_If you have any information--- any that would at least help me out in seeking Cole Seahart, please send me a private message. Maybe we can arrange a meeting or something._

_Thank you all!_

Hippo gulped nervously and clicked the _Print Version _link on top. After showing a small preview window of how the print version should look like, he pressed the Print button, which his inkjet printer quickly provided a print of that message in the forum.

_This is strange... after learning who we really are and who Nicola really is, this had just to happen. This may be my ticket to finally confronting Nicola of the problem!_

He reached for the paper, and just as he was going to fold it he heard a knock on his door. "Hippo, you busy?"

"Oh, come in!" Hippo already recognized the voice. His door opened and Nicola entered.

"Hippo, can I... talk to you about... something?"

Hippo headed for his bed and sat on the edge. Nicola invited herself by sitting next to him. "What about?"

"I'm curious about Lucia and Kaito."

"Oh... them..." Hippo almost felt a startle but remained calm. "Yeah? What about them?"

"Did you listen to last night's radio show at RNBW-FM?"

The twelve-year-old blonde boy shrugged his arms. "I dunno. I was probably asleep or something. Why?"

"Well... something interesting happened at that radio show. There were two teenagers who went by Leolani and Kaikane who called in the show to give out dedications. It looks like on the radio waves, they found each other at long last."

"Er, okay, Nicola... so what's this got to do with Lucia and Kaito?"

Nicola sighed and shook her head. Then swallowed to keep herself calm and cool. "Leolani... and Kaikane... they're surf nicks, Hippo... they're Lucia's and Kaito's surf nicks..."

Hippo's eyes widened in shock, just so he would not appear conspicuous that he already knew from the beginning. On the other hand, he immediately remembered his talk with Lucia last night about Kaito being Kaikane. Thanks to Nicola's somewhat unawareness, Lucia's claim of Kaito being Kaikane was officially confirmed. "So... Nicola... how'd you know about them?"

"About what?" Nicola asked curiously, wondering of her brother's suspicions.

"Nicola, you're my older sister and I've always respected you and trusted you. But lately, you haven't been really a good sister to Lucia and me. You've been trying to brainwash us or something so we won't have to bring up any past history involving our family. But thanks to a little research I made, I think I've known more than enough."

The eldest Nanami remained frozen. There was no escape for her, knowing that she would eventually talk about the past with her younger siblings. She thought she could live a guilt-free life by somewhat warping the younger siblings to believing on lies, but she never expected the youngest sibling to be the one who would confront her with the past.

"Well, I guess I have no choice, Hippo. Let's talk."

* * *

_**Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch **is © 2003 Pink Hanamori and Michiko Yokote. All songs used are © respected songwriters/owners. No copyright infringement intended._

_**RATED T** for the VERY mild language and slight adult situations._

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES: **(Here we go!)_

_Before the actual "notes", I just want to thank all the readers who took the time to read, re-read (optional), and review my fic. Every single one of them, even the ones where you point out mistakes, I take every single of them to heart. If you do spot any mistakes anywhere in the chapters, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE feel free to point it out to me (thanks a bunch, **milleke**, for pointing out my strange mistakes from the previous chapter. I think I was half-asleep then since I do stay up a bit late just to write my fic. Bad me... LOL). As long as you don't attack me personally or simply bash my fanfic just because you don't like the pairings or whatever, constructive criticism is always good, so don't be afraid or feel bad when you spot something that sounds "off." ^_^_

_#1 – **Sex Wax –** Full name: **Mr. Zog's Sex Wax**. Despite the rather controversial name, this is actually a very popular brand of surfboard wax that many professional and recreational surfers prefer to wax their surfboards. According to the official site, the name came about as some kind of a "shocker" or an "advertising method" that would actually get people be curious as to what it really is. No real-deal surfer should go out to the beach surfing without a wax, such as **Sex Wax **(there are other brands too, but from what I read, this label is unique and its formula is of high quality. In addition to being high quality, it's also very inexpensive (about $1.50 USD/wax, which according to today's exchange rate, would be ¥148). The official motto of this brand ever since its debut has always been **The best for your stick**, thus the reference Lucia made on her reaction to the surfboard wax's label Kaito just tossed to her._

_#2 – **Exostosis**, also known as **Surfer's Ear**, is every surfer's nightmare. This particular condition causes the ear canal to have some kind of bony growth due to the persistent irritation of cold water. Cold or warm air blown to a wet ear lowers the normal body temperature in the ear canal due to evaporation, which can stimulate bone growth. The same thing occurs with warm water. When this happens the unfortunate victim will have to go and see the doctor right away because this particular condition can cause **deafness**, not to mention a surgical procedure that can cost an arm and a leg. To prevent surfer's ear, all surfers are required to wear specific earplugs before they paddle out to the sea. This same condition happens with swimming and scuba diving, only this time under the term of **Swimmer's Ear**._

_#3 – **Poseidon, Triton, Amphitrite, and Thetis** – Greek gods & goddesses of the sea. That's pretty much a given._

_I am also currently opening a fan site for MMPPP. It won't be the typical "general information/ characters/ video/ etc." type of fansite though, but I can promise you that what this site will require are fellow MMPPP fans just like you. I'll be sure to announce it including the URL (not linked, since FFnet would not allow outside linking... what the heck... .). Thanks!_


	14. Gorgeous Gidget

**RIDE THE WILD SURF  
a Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch Fanfiction**

by Adrimarie

**Gorgeous Gidget**

"Well, I guess I have no choice, Hippo. Let's talk."

Nicola moved back on the bed so she can lean her back against the wall. Just as she was about to she noticed the yellow shortboard hanging on to Hippo's wall. Not only that she was somewhat fascinated with the way Hippo displayed it on his wall but this particular shortboard had the initials _C.S. _right on the bottom shape. Along with its fresh and flowery custom design she caressed the glossy deck and provided a small smile on her face.

"This was my first shortboard, Hippo. I gave this to you when you were still very little when I _graduated _from this board. I started off from one of Dad's old longboards when I was around five or six. I gave this to you in hopes that one day you'll end up getting in to surfing as well. I didn't think about Lucia when I was a kid because all I wanted was to belong..."

Hippo rested himself on his bed, looking a lot more curious than ever. "Belong? Nicola, belong to what? Where?"

"I have low self-esteem, Hippo."

"Low self-esteem? Sis, you're the manager and practically the owner of Pearl Waters and we've been having really good success so far this summer... how could you have low self-esteem?"

"Hippo, let me explain. You have no idea how it feels to be the only child of two popular surfers in the surfing world, and on top of that, tandem surfing. Seven years since I was born that I was always raised by Aunt Taki and the late grandparents because Mom and Dad were always on tour all the time, going to surf meets and surfing exhibitions all around the world. In all honesty, I don't think I ever got to know Mom and Dad myself, simply because we rarely spent time together as a real family. Every time they make promises that we'd go on family trips or even go to school for my school activities, most of the time they always break those promises. They had me and they had the Rainbowside. They would always prioritize the Rainbowside over their own child. What the heck kind of parents who'd choose a sport over their own flesh and blood?"

Hippo sighed, crossing his arms. "Cole--- I mean Nicola--- I wish I knew more of Mom and Dad too but I was way too young when they perished from the _Dainami-Oni_. I didn't understand a thing. It feels as if I never knew who I really am as a person or where I came from. I wish I could say something about your plight but even until now I still don't know anything about your relationship with Mom and Dad."

Nicola shook her head and gave a sight. "My true reason why I wanted to surf in the first place was so I can have a chance to spend more time with Mom and Dad. I got to go to all their surf meets and exhibitions all the time and I got to hang out with their tribe friends' kids too. I wanted Mon and Dad to look at me and take me seriously as their daughter and becoming a professional surfer was my only key to becoming more connected with them. I guess you could say that I've always been lonely all my life."

"Lonely...?" Hippo asked curiously with a sad sigh. "But Nicola... you got us! Lucia and me... you know... your sister and your brother? What about us? Is that why we always hung out with Taro all the time during the summer? All because you were desperate to get Mom and Dad's attention and be in the Rainbowside so all their pals would pay attention to you?"

"It's not just that, Hippo! Because they're so in to surfing and the Rainbowside that they often forget that they're parents too and that they got children to take care of. When surfing is not in the usual season the only time we get to see them was at night and sometimes on the weekends. I know, you and Lucia were too young to realize that, but I was the only one who felt the loneliness and neglect from them. I had to _snake in_ to the tribe like a _noob kook _that I was until I got the idea that if I showed my interest in surfing that I would also get Mom and Dad to notice me too."

Hippo took a pillow from his bed and clung on to it like a stuffed animal. "So, why were you trying to warp Lucia and me in to thinking that our family past was pure and innocent, not to mention who you really were before you became the manager of Pearl Waters? No such thing as a _pure and innocent _past, you know. I mean, you can always talk to Lucia and me whenever you feel down. We're family too, you know?"

"I know... and I'm sorry I lost my faith in you and Lucia, Hippo. But there's another reason why I decided to change things around and make you believe a lie rather than the real truth."

"Jeez, Cole, you really hate us that much that you'd lie to us big time?"

"No Hippo, that's not what I mean... It's just that... I killed Mom and Dad that day..."

Hippo's eyebrow raised up with suspicion. "What on earth are you talking about?"

"I shouldn't have conquered the _Dainami-Oni _that day. It was because of my historical ride of that thing that made Mom and Dad think that it was a challenge I threw against them for my _revenge _for their constant abandonment of their own children. After they were taken away from us, that's when I realized that I was the one that led them to their deaths. What I meant to say is that I didn't try hard enough to stop them or at least get them to use a tandem gun board to ride the _Dainami-Oni _as a pair of tandem surfers. I was... too scared to face the media, Hippo. I was too scared to tell them the story about their deaths. I can't say that everything was an accident, especially that we already knew of the _Dainami-Oni_. I can't say that Mom and Dad were very stubborn when it comes to surfing in general because I didn't want their fans to hate me. In fact, I don't want anyone to hate me, Hippo, most especially you and Lucia..."

Nicola burst in to tears with her hands on her face. Hippo's suspicious feelings faded right away and embraced his older sister. "That's not true, Cole. Mom and Dad love you very much. In fact, thinking about it, both of them feel that it's their fault for forgetting about you, being their first-born child and all."

"How could you know that, Hippo?"

Hippo released his sister and reached for his side table. He grabbed the red journal notebook and handed it to her. Nicola's eyes widened in shock to see the cover. "Here, Nicola. I got it from the archives and records floor at the library yesterday. I couldn't stand any more being out of the loop and I was a little intimidated confronting you about it."

"Mom and Dad's surfing journal..." Nicola stared at the notebook in shock and felt herself frozen solid, not reaching out for the journal.

"I read the entire thing yesterday. Lucia read some of it afterwards. I quickly grabbed it from her room after she left in case someone else sees it. So yeah. That's how I found out about the Nanami Family's connection to the legendary Seahart Surfers. Sorry for hiding it from you. But after reading their journal, I realized how much they actually cared for us. I mean, if you read it, you'll notice how every single entry that they wrote were all directed at me. They meant for me to read it someday, which was why their entries were always addressed to me. It was like... trying to communicate with me from the other side..."

Nicola nodded and through the tears came a smile. "I'm really sorry about all this, Hippo. It was stupid and childish of me. Even now I realized that disappearing from the surfing world limelight was also childish, but I still couldn't face the media on my own. I only became a celebrity of sorts simply because Mom and Dad were champion tandem surfers in the surfing world. If I wasn't related to any champion surfers I'd be a total nobody. Then again, I didn't want media attention at all. I just wanted to be with Mom and Dad as much as I can. Is that too much to ask, Hippo?"

"Well..." Hippo reached for the printout he printed earlier from the _Surfer Styles _forum regarding the dying girl wanting to see Cole Seahart in person before she leaves the world. He handed it to Nicola. "I printed this forum message from the _Surfer Styles _magazine forum. Maybe you can start coming out of your shell by fulfilling this poor girl's request. If you agree I can contact her via private message for details."

Nicola read the message from the beginning till the end and sighed. "Poor thing. Who would have thought that even the younger generation would also be familiar with me too? I guess that historical ride really did get a lot of attention."

"You're not _that _old, Nicola. I mean, if you don't show yourself to the public it'd only gain media attention, so much that they'll send out those weirdo Paparazzi photographers to search for you. But like I said, just read what I just gave you and make someone happy."

"Well. I guess it couldn't hurt meeting this poor girl." Nicola folded the letter and placed it in her pocket. Hippo attempted to hand the red journal to her, but instead Nicola placed her hand on the notebook and pressed it back to him. "You keep it, Hippo. Mom and Dad meant to give this to you once they were done with it. I don't need to read it."

"Eh?" Hippo asked curiously. "But Nicola... I thought you wanted to see for yourself about how much Mom and Dad really loved you then?"

Nicola just shook her head. "You know, I'll be honest with you. When I was Lucia's age, I used to sneak around Mom and Dad's bedroom and would secretly read some of their entries. Of course, I stopped afterwards, thinking that I had no hope in really winning their parental affection. I felt like I raised myself up since I was a kid, you know? But after realizing it and talking to you about it... I did learn one thing. Mom and Dad were sharing some of the love for you and Lucia like they did to me. I guess this was what fate decided with our family. I came out victorious form that tournament... at the cost of Mom and Dad's lives with the _Dainami-Oni_. I'm twenty-one-years old now, Hippo. I'm no longer a kid crying for attention anymore. It's time for me to grow up."

Hippo patted Nicola on the shoulder as the two siblings embrace each other. After they released, Hippo asked his older sister curiously. "So... we talked this over... and Lucia isn't even here."

"Lucia doesn't need to be here, Hippo. She's with her destiny right now."

"Destiny? You mean tandem surfing?"

"No, silly. Her beloved lost love, Kaikane."

_Kaito Doumoto_... Hippo gazed up at one of his pinups along with his debut pinup shot of Kaito doing an aerial on his surfing. _Dang... I can't believe Mom and Dad wanted Lucia to be with the surfing world's most phenomenal champion of the world... what fate!_

"Thinking about something, Hippo?" Nicola asked curiously, noting the boy's constant staring at the Kaito pinup on his wall.

"Uhh... um... so... what now, Nicola?" Hippo snapped out to reality and blurted out this simple question.

"Well, Hippo. I got some errands to do. Do me a favor, will you?" She reached for the printout again and returned it to Hippo. "Will you send a message to this person and let her know when would be the best time to meet them and where?"

"Oh!" Hippo exclaimed happily. "Sure thing! I'll do that just now! I'll let you know when I get the response back!"

"Thanks, Hippo." The two siblings embraced each other as Nicola walked out of Hippo's room. Just as she was about to step out, Hippo called for her again. "What is it?"

"Glad to see you again, Cole. Looks like the _Gorgeous Gidget _has returned... I hope..."

"This _Gorgeous Gidget _is ready to face the present time now, Hippo. Thank you."

A few hours later, the tandem surfing teams of Nijibe drove together on one of Masahiro's vehicular possessions--- a fancy dark green Hummer sport utility vehicle--- right in the town square area. Luckily for them, Taro Mitsuki was free that day that Masahiro asked Taro to be the driver of the vehicle. The vehicle was huge and roomy enough to fit ten people including Taro himself.

The three tandem surfing pairs, Masahiro and Rina, and Taro exited the vehicle after Taro found a good parking spot. The group were dressed in their usual clothes again after their session of practice surfing (and in Rina's case, her photo shoots and her short intimate moments with her new boyfriend). Once they exited, Taro spoke to the entire group first: "Alright, dudes and dudettes, you all should know what to do."

"We're very clear on our mission today, Taro!" Lucia cheered happily with her right fist raised up high.

"I already gave you pads of post-its. Just list down any surf shop that does custom tandem guns. Bugging Maki would be our final resort if you guys don't succeed."

"Taro, I don't understand why we couldn't just talk to Maki about his brother's surf shop doing custom tandem guns directly before we went in town?"

"Because it would be rude." Kaito answered immediately. "We can't just bug your cook about the tandem boards in the middle of his cooking. Besides, we're here to shop around--- and spend some time together, you know?"

"Alright, alright," Gaito interrupted, getting everyone's attention. "We split up in pairs. Mr. M, I think it's best if you go with Kaito and Lucia."

"What the---?" Kaito and Lucia gasped at Gaito's idea of having Taro Mitsuki hanging around with them when Hanon began to object.

"Eh?" Hanon exclaimed in shock. "Gaito, why the heck are you having Taro--- Mr. Mitsuki that is--- go with Kaito and Lucia? Nagisa and I are the youngest couple in this crowd here and we need... um... you know... a chaperone!"

"Hanon," Nagisa crossed his arms, frowning at her. "We don't need chaperones when we're shopping--- unless if you plan to shoplift or something weird like that. We're twelve and fourteen. We're old enough to look after ourselves---"

"But--- it's wrong!" Hanon suddenly grabbed Taro's arm and cuddled herself against it. "You can't go with Kaito and Lucia, Mr. M--- they're the hot tandem couple of the century and they need to be alone, you see?"

"That's the reason why I'm having Taro Mitsuki go with them, Hanon," Gaito raised an eyebrow towards the daffy girl.

"Oh for goodness sakes, Hanon, let go of Mr. M's arm!" Rina exclaimed with her annoyance on her expression.

"Uh... I think it'd be best if I stay here in the SUV, everyone," Taro answered humbly and yet Hanon still would not let go. "Houshou, please--- let go?"

Nagisa approached Hanon and began to drag her slowly with his arms around her waist. "Come on, Hanon, we don't have much time 'cause those dang surf shops close early! Come on!"

"But--- but Taro! We'll be all alone and unprotected without you beside me--- I mean us!" Hanon continued to whine as Kaito assisted Nagisa and succeeded in splitting Hanon from Taro. "Unhand me, you dirty-minded fiends!"

"Ouch... that hurt..." Taro rubbed his arm and shoulder from the pain Hanon caused from her clinging.

"Look, we can do this alone, Hanon," Nagisa continued insisting. "We'll be fine! I'm familiar enough with the surf shops here. We'll find our sponsor and shaper of our competition tandem board, okay?"

"Taro! Why...?" Hanon wailed like a spoiled child as Nagisa began to hush her down. The others turned their heads around, feeling slightly embarrassed at the situation.

"Oh jeez... this is just embarrassing..." Rina murmured her voice, shaking her head at the same time. "Just get over it, Hanon!"

"I never knew Hanon would be this emotional over Mr. M..." Masahiro sighed, trying not to say anything insulting.

"Okay, okay," Sara attempted to calm everyone down. "Well, it's only eleven-thirty in the morning so we got a few hours to shop around for surfboard sponsors before we head back to the beach for more practice... let's just hope the swell this afternoon would still be as strong as it is this morning."

"Well then. Let's go!" Gaito smirked as Sara placed her arm around him, making their way to their path.

Masahiro then turned to Rina with a smile, offering his arm. "Shall we go, Rina?"

Rina smiled humbly and took his arm. "Lead the way, Masahiro!"

Just then, Hanon jumped in excitement and nudged Rina on the side. "Aww... you two are truly in love--- and I love your surf nicks too! Leolani and Kaikane... so beautiful! I wanna have a Hawaiian name for a surf nick too!"

"Ugh, get with it, Hanon, I am _not _Leolani!" Rina exclaimed in chagrin. "Just give it up already! We are not Leolani and Kaikane!"

"Oh, you can't fool me, Rina! You're just saying that because you don't want to be popular like Masahiro Hamasaki here... and you shouldn't be afraid to show off your captivating surf nick too! I think Leolani is a pretty name! I swear, I need to look for someone who knows Hawaiian who'd give me the perfect Hawaiian name for my surf nick... I need it so I can use it as my competitive name for the tournament!"

"You really want a Hawaiian name for a surf nick, Houshou?" From out of the blue, Kaito interrupted the chatter. Hanon turned her head and faced Kaito, Lucia, and Taro staring right at their direction.

"What's it to you, Kaito? Every surfer has got a super-secret surf nick that makes them cooler than their coolness right now!"

Kaito burst in to laughter, leaving the others confused. "You forget Gaito and I were born and raised in Hawaii, so he and I know a little bit of the Hawaiian language. I got the perfect Hawaiian name for you, Houshou."

Hanon gasped and cheered happily. "Really, Kaito? You're so sweet! What name?"

"_Halulu_," Kaito answered immediately with a slight snicker on his face.

"Ha-lu----lu? Uhh... I don't know what that means but it sounds exotic! Halulu! I love it! Thanks, Kaito!" Right then she ran towards the surfer boy and gave a small kiss on the cheek. "You and Lucia should have surf nicks too--- preferably Hawaiian, you know? You'd seriously rock at the competition when you do!"

"Um... right! Sure!" Lucia chuckled nervously while Kaito shrugged his arms.

"Well, we better get going now!" Rina waved at Lucia, Kaito, and Taro as she is slightly being dragged by Masahiro forward.

"See you dudes and dudette later!" Nagisa gave a wave to the three as he took Hanon gently by the arm. "Come on, Hanon, let's go this way."

Just as the young pair were about to make their way, Hanon suddenly returned to where the remaining three were standing and turned to Taro. "Oh Taro--- Mr. Mitsuki--- are you sure you don't want to come with us?"

"Uh... ha ha..." Taro laughed nervously, gently scratching the back of his head. "You and Nagisa will be alright. Two is perfect and three's a crowd, you know!"

"Oh... well, okay then. We'll see you here then, Taro!" Hanon waved goodbye to the three as she continued her path with Nagisa next to her.

Taro then turned to Lucia and Kaito with a grin on his face. "Well, you two better get going. I'll be right here at the SUV waiting. Call me on my cell when you need something."

Lucia nodded with a smile. "Alright then, Taro. I guess we'll be---" Just as she was about to complete her response, Kaito interrupted.

"I think you better come with us, Mr. M."

"Eh?" Lucia blinked in surprise. "But Kaito... are you sure?"

"Are you sure about this, Kaito?" Taro asked the same question.

Kaito nodded with confidence on his expression. "Gaito's mind may be a little twisted, but I have a feeling something may happen to Lucia and me if we were alone, so it's best if there's the three of us."

Taro, still looking rather confused, shrugged his arms and locked the door of his SUV. He placed the keys in his pocket and walked his way towards the pair. "Well, if you insist, Kaito, I'll go with you two."

Lucia smiled and patted her older cousin on the side. "Thanks for coming with us, Taro!"

"Sure. No problem." The three made their way to the shopping area, searching for surf shops that may sponsor them on their tandem surfing competition.

As they strolled through the shops, Lucia quickly asked a question. "Say, Kaito... I have a very small, not so important question to ask you."

"Hm?" Kaito turned his head to the girl next to him. "What is it?"

"That... um... that name you gave Hanon... Hulala was it?"

"I think that was Halulu, Lucia," Taro corrected her.

"Right... Halulu..."

"Yeah? What about it, Lucia?" Kaito asked curiously.

"What's that mean? I know each name has a special meaning to it... right?"

Kaito snickered and answered. "Why? Jealous?"

Lucia gasped in shock. "No way! Me, jealous of Hanon just because you gave her an actual Hawaiian name? I gotta admit that Halulu is a very exotic name... but that's nothing to get jealous about!"

"Do you really want to know, Lucia? I gotta admit, I used to call her that when we used to date for a week months ago..."

Lucia sighed, feeling slightly jealous with the name, but still was curious about the meaning. "Well, why won't you tell us?"

"Well... I was afraid you'd be mad at me because Hanon Houshou is your friend and all..."

"No, I wouldn't be mad... in fact, Hawaii is the the royal capital of the sport of surfing and I'm interested in the Hawaiian culture too!" Lucia crossed her arms, feeling rather annoyed by Kaito at the moment.

"Well, to tell you the truth... Halulu is the name of a legendary Hawaiian mythological creature."

Taro chuckled softly. "You gave Hanon a name based on a Hawaiian mythological creature? What is it then... some kind of a bird?"

Kaito smiled and turned to the future teacher. "Why yes, Mr. M. It's a type of bird."

"Wow... must be one of those beautiful and exotic birds that turn to beautiful women at night or something... it's like... those mermaids..." Lucia began to contemplate to herself about the creature.

"Actually, Lucia... it's a man-eating bird." Lucia and Taro almost tripped in a startle to hear his response.

"What the--- Halulu is a man-eating bird?" Lucia exclaimed in shock while Taro prevented himself from laughing. "You gave Hanon the name of a man-eating bird?"

Kaito shrugged while displaying an innocent smile on his face. "I'm sorry, no offense, but she reminds me of that Hawaiian man-eating bird. I can't help myself!"

Lucia felt a slight relief within but instead decided to keep cool about it. "So... um... are you gonna tell Hanon what that means?"

"She didn't ask for the meaning, so no."

"What if I tell her what it means, Kaito?"

"Oh I don't care if you do or not. Hanon Houshou never listens to you anyway."

Lucia sighed and lowered her head. "Of course..."

Moments later, the three arrived at the shops that sold mainly surf equipment, supplies, and attire in a typical surf culture. Once they got there, Lucia gulped nervously at the shoppers around. Many of them were tanned, shirtless, macho-esque surfer boys and females with their two-piece bikinis and other swimsuit attire, and seemed as if they belonged to certain cliques of beach goers. The girl looked rather intimidated while these passerby shoppers recognized Kaito, exchanging their usual surfer greetings and provided some surfer talk.

She gazed at herself, wearing her usual cotton top and denim shorts, and even her attire was perfect for this sweltering hot summer she still felt somewhat left out of the crowd. Taro stood next to her, patting her on the shoulder.

"I feel so bad, Taro... I think we're both out of place here..."

"Lucia, we're pretty much in surf zone in the shopping center right now."

Lucia gazed at Kaito, who was practically mobbed by his fellow surfers back at the beach, both of the Rainbowside and of the independents. As a celebrity of the surfing world Kaito knew that being graceful and respectful to those who praised him was important. It was not a type of requirement of being a celebrity athlete, but it was also natural for him to support other surfers who had high hopes of being alongside his ranks one day.

After his moment with the crowd, he rejoined Lucia and Taro, who had been waiting for him so they can proceed. Once he got to them, he apologized first. "I'm sorry about that. I was caught off-guard."

"Don't worry about it," Taro said, patting Kaito on the shoulder. "At least it's with fellow surfers and not with your stalking fan club."

Lucia nodded in agreement. "Show respect for all surfers no matter what their skill level may be, right Kaito?"

"Heh, got that right," Kaito softly chuckled. "Well, let's get going."

The three proceeded to their first surf shop they spotted. Before they entered, Kaito turned to Taro, who had been walking behind him and Lucia. "Say, Mr. M... I'm a little curious..."

Taro blinked in confusion. "Curious? About what?"

"You know I always get stoked every time I hear you guys rip your jams on rehearsals and whenever. I'm wondering... what type of guitars do you guys use?"

Lucia answered first. "Well, I have an old _Fender Strat _that Nicola bought it off of some neighborhood flea market when I was around ten and she thought that music would be my main hobby and convinced me to learn how to play guitar along with my spontaneous singing. I haven't really replaced it yet because it still works, though I think it's losing its rich, pure sound. I'm still learning and I'm not nearly as good as Taro here."

"Same," Taro answered afterwards. "I have an old _Fender Strat _too that I bought it off of one of my old college classmates in music class, just for the heck of it. I kinda wanted to... well.. upgrade... to a more richer, in-your-face-sounding guitar. You know... something that would seriously hit you once you hear the lead chords on an fast-paced instrumental. A _Fender Jaguar _would be perfect for the lead guitar."

"Rihito has the expensive _Fender American Deluxe P-Bass_..." Lucia continued from where Taro left off.

"Ha ha... of course, Lucia! He's high-class rich maestro Rihito Amagi... what do you expect?" Kaito chuckled.

"He did offer to buy us some new instruments; replace the ones we have right now." Taro picked up from where they left off. "But at the same time I feel like we would be like a charity case because we couldn't afford the purest-sounding high-quality guitars around. I mean, with all my piano recitals and concerts back in college I only used my money to pay off of my college loans. Even with the pay I receive as assistant manager of Pearl Waters it's still not enough for me to purchase a Jaguar."

Kaito crossed his arms and answered. "Mr. M, even surf bands have sponsors. Ever thought of having sponsors? Like a musical instrument shop or something would offer you these same guitars for free? Or discounted even? I mean, if you didn't want Rihito--- or anyone for the matter--- to upgrade your current instruments then I think you guys should look around for sponsors too. Then again, knowing Rihito..."

Taro shook his head. "Rihito would not go for sponsorships, Kaito. I know him from inside out. The thing is that I don't want him to waste all his precious prize money from all the concerts he conducted just for a small-town surf band like the OC-5..."

Kaito signaled both Taro and Lucia to follow him at an empty corner of the shops so no one would overhear their conversation. "Mr. M... Dude... You're OC-5--- Oceanic Crib 5! You guys are gonna be representing our town and our tribe at the upcoming tournament and with no fully-charged instruments like those Fenders like you said earlier, you guys are gonna sound really weak by the time the surf bands contest arrive. The dudes I talked to earlier just now were telling me that they have been observing the... competition... surf bands included!"

Lucia gasped with her mouth covered. "You mean... the entire town is actually watching every single competition here and not just the ones who are actually competing?"

"Look, I got a tip earlier from the dudes just now. The bands that people are gonna be keeping an eye on are the Argonauts and Surfee Surf and the Surfites---"

"Eh? _Surfee Surf and the Surfites_...?" Lucia asked curiously. "What kind of a name is that? That sounds so cheesy!"

"Cheesy name, but a very good band, Lucia," Taro mentioned directly. "Yeah, I've seen them at their rehearsals. If it isn't going to be the surfers who's going to make Seiyo Valley on top of the tournament, it's going to be _Surfee Surf and the Surfites_. They got some serious fancy stuff going on with their jams and their instruments and equipment are just seriously slick. I heard they've got _Jazzcasters_ instead of the standard Strats."

Lucia lowered her head, feeling a certain guilt within her. "I... I had no idea there were a lot higher quality guitars. Then again... not everything lasts that long." She turned quickly to Taro with worry in her eyes. "What do we do, Taro? I don't even know how much money Pearl Waters has at the business bank account. I mean, it'd be really awkward to ask Nicola to borrow money just to replace our old instruments, you know?"

Kaito stepped in and spoke his words. "Lucia, you're over thinking this. Why are you guys trying to be all proud and humble when you've got so many friends who are willing to help you out? What's holding you back?"

"I..." Lucia found herself blushing and gulped nervously. "It's just that... well... you know how a lot people think about the people behind Pearl Waters... I mean... we're like the _hermit _family. People don't really take us seriously... and really, who's really going to help us with issues such as having our instruments replaced with the best quality instruments out there? Just face it, Kaito--- we're cheap!"

Taro placed his arm around Lucia and hushed her. "Lucia, don't say that..."

Kaito gave a slight smirk on his face and answered. "You know what's funny... just when you said that, Lucia, you just reminded me of someone just now."

Lucia's eyes widened in surprise. "I reminded you of...?"

The surfer boy leaned himself against the wall with a slight smile on his face. "There was this girl I knew in the past---"

"One of your ex-girlfriends?" Lucia exclaimed with her eyes opened wide.

"Yo, lemme finish first, Lucia. You're jumping in to conclusions!"

"Oh! Sorry..."

"Well... it was nine years ago. Sure, I may be a total _kook _back then but hey, I was a kid. Go figure. There was this girl back at the beach who was like--- the coolest chick the entire beach has ever seen. She can rip those waves and ride the ocean like she's the damn mermaid princess or something. The Rainbowside just loved watching her--- even future surfer kids like me would just drop everything we're doing just to watch her take over the beach, man! As the _wahine _of the beach, every girl I knew then wanted to be like her. But personality-wise... well... she don't talk much. I may be just a kid then, being all babysat by Sara along with Gaito, but whenever she comes around when the _Surf Cuties _clique would call for her and have her hang out with them, but you know, she always denied their request and said that she's cool to just be on the beach on her own. Every time she'd say something like that I can tell by her eyes that she didn't mean it. She wanted something more than just a _Yo, you're a totally rockin' surf chick!_, but she was hesitant."

Lucia stared at Kaito curiously, wondering what type of girl he was just talking about now. "But... why would she be hesitant? She shouldn't be afraid to ask or talk to the people who give her praises. I mean, she knows she's not perfect and that she shouldn't feel alone no matter what..."

"Beats me. But you know, for once, I really hoped she would open up to the whole world and speak her mind instead of having people praise her to the masses and nothing else happens to her benefit." Kaito looked up right towards Taro and continued. "I think you know who I'm talking about, right Mr. M?"

Taro blinked his eyes in a startle at first, and then nodded. "Yup. I do."

Lucia sighed and lowered her head. "This isn't fair... I feel such a total _kook_. You guys know more about who's who in the surf scene than I do... even Taro knows who the girl you're talking about, Kaito..."

"Should I tell her, Mr. M?" Kaito asked curiously.

"Go ahead. It's just the three of us here."

Kaito gazed towards Lucia and leaned slightly closer to her, which made Lucia's heart beat rapidly. Then he moved his head to Lucia's ear and whispered: "Cole Seahart."

Lucia gasped and shrieked out: "Cole Seahart?!" Quickly Taro covered her mouth as Kaito hushed her immediately.

"Hey, lower down your voice, Lucia!" Kaito whispered. "We're not at Sector 7 Beach anymore. There could be spies from competitors here so we better not talk too much about our local secrets."

"Sorry..." Lucia answered with a sigh after she removed Taro's hand from her mouth.

"Although," Taro answered, "there is one thing you're wrong at about her, Kaito."

"Oh? What's that?" Kaito asked curiously.

"Cole wasn't always silent. She did open her feelings up one time."

"Hm? When did that happen?"

"When Cole confessed her feelings to Maki's younger brother."

"Oh..."

"Well then." Taro immediately changed the subject. "We better head to the surf shops right now and find your sponsors."

"Afterwards we can head out at the music shops not too far from here," Kaito added another suggestion.

"Hm? Music shops?" Taro asked curiously. "I think we've got enough fresh copies of blank music sheets for the music---"

"Mr. M, we're going to find sponsors to get your instruments replaced. If that doesn't work, then you dudes got no choice but to let Rihito and some of the filthy rich Rainbowside surfers pitch in some cash for those instruments. Of course, when we're there we'll call Rihito up or have him come here."

Lucia turned her head immediately towards Taro as the future school teacher shrugged his arms. "Well, worth a try."

Few moments later, they entered in a prominent-looking surf shop known as _Tack-It-Up Surf Shop_. The shop was one of the more well-known shops around, not just in Nijibe, but throughout their region. When they entered, countless classic and modern surf rock and surf pop blasted out at the ceiling speakers while shoppers in tanks and bikini outfits searched around beach apparel and surf gear sections. Lucia felt that same feeling from earlier about being isolated and standing out from the rest of the crowd. Though she noticed Taro looking somewhat out of place, his quarter-opened collared dark blue beach-motif printed shirt helped him blend in with the crowd.

"_Tack-It-Up Surf Shop_?" Lucia read the sign with curious eyes. "Wow... these surf shops sure got some weird names..."

"Heh, yeah. It helps them stand out, you know." Kaito chuckled. "Well, you guys can look around. I'll talk to the manager behind the counter."

"Okay!" Lucia and Taro split from Kaito and began to browse around the shop. Just as Lucia began to browse around the womens' swimsuit section, Taro looked out at the shop window and spotted three familiar figures just passing by their shop. Quickly he turned to Lucia and waved.

"What's going on, Taro?"

"I just saw Hippo, Rihito, and Michal outside!" Taro exclaimed. "Let me go get them."

"Okay!" Lucia waved at Taro as he headed his way to the exit. Kaito took notice of the teacher and gazed at him as he exited the door.

Once he got outside, he was immediately approached by the three. "Hey! I didn't know you'd be here!"

"Taro?" Hippo gasped with surprise. "Dude, what are you doing here? I thought you were gonna be waiting at the SUV while all the tandem pairs will be shopping around for sponsors?"

"Well... uh... Kaito and Lucia sorta... wanted me to come along with them..." Taro answered humbly with a soft chuckle on his face.

Michal cheered happily and with hope on her expression. "What? Kaito's with you? I can't believe this--- this is like--- destiny!"

"Well what do you know--- we found you, Mitsuki. Listen, I just got an email from the tournament committee about a few changes regarding the tournament and I think it's important."

Few moments later, Lucia, with Kaito following her from behind, exited the surf shop to see the rest of the OC-5 members, sans Rina, present at the doorway. "Hey guys!" Lucia cheered happily, waving at them. "Nice to see you---"

"Kaito! My prince in shining armor! At last we meet again!" Just as Lucia was about to complete her greeting, Michal ran to the entrance, slightly pushed Lucia aside, and embraced Kaito tightly to her. "Oh I've missed you so much!"

"H-hey!" Lucia shrieked with a frown on her face. "How rude!"

"Uh--- Michal... let go... I'm coming outside." Kaito slowly released himself from her tight grip as Michal set him free. Once he was outside she went back to embrace the deadly attractive surfer boy once more. "H-hey! Come on, Michal, let go!"

Rihito turned to Kaito and began to speak. "Kaito, I tried to get a hold of your bro but his cell's not answering. Listen, we got a bit of a problem with the changes in the tournament."

Kaito continued to struggle to set himself free from Michal's tight grip as he answered. "There's changes again? What now?"

"Well, it involves the surf band and the three tandem couples, Kaito. Originally in the surf bands contest we were only going to play seven songs. Guess what, they added another one for the end. The only thing is, though it'll be a fast track--- be it an instrumental or vocals--- the three tandem couples will have to do their pair dance as sorta like their intro to the tandem surfing contest. Apparently points will be generated for both the all three couples and for the band. They're going to be judging by the most impressive dance made by each pair and of course, the song that the band will be playing."

Lucia shrieked in surprise. "So you're saying we're playing eight songs instead of seven songs for the surf bands contest?"

"Dance..." Kaito trailed off, looking rather nervous at the thought of it. "Oh hell no."

Rihito nodded. "Personally I think the tournament committee is just overdoing it..."

"I agree with you, Rihito... but then again, they're the committee. You can't really argue against them unless if you're a committee member yourself."

Lucia realized Kaito's tone of his voice and turned to him. "That's right! You don't dance... well... in public..."

"Another problem with the changes," Rihito continued. "The committee requires all surf bands to have their instruments fresh and brand-new, one of a kind, high quality--- and personalized too. They'll be testing the sound level of each of our instruments before we can even compete. If the sound levels are weak against their provided amp machines, we can't compete. That would mean there should be some official engraving or label or something that has the band name and our names on them. This can only mean one thing--- we'll have to replace our current instruments with special personalized ones."

"Another expense..." Taro sighed deeply. "Is the tournament committee desperate enough for their contestants to waste their money just to compete? This is ridiculous, seriously."

Hippo crossed his arms in disappointment. "That's just lame. Why can't those tournament people buy better amps and sound equipment instead of requiring all the contestants to compete with brand-new instruments? I'm happy with my five-year-old Ludwig kit, dammit!"

Rihito shook his head and then turned to Taro. "Seriously, Taro, just let me take care of the instruments. I know how bad you wanted to have a Fender Jaguar instead of that old Strat you've got but you're not even giving me a chance to get you one."

Taro shook his head as his response. "Rihito, we're grateful you're part of the band and that you're working around Pearl Waters for free, but we're not going to ask you to use your money to do something for us. We're thinking of just finding a reputable music shop that would sponsor the entire band---"

Rihito also shook his head. "Sponsors? We're the one and only surf band existing in this town, Taro, and we all should be proud of that. I just think we're way too cool to have corporate sponsors like that. Just let me take care of the instruments, Taro."

"Hey," Kaito interrupted as he successfully freed himself from Michal's grasp. "Rihito, I can chip in with the costs--- well, Gaito and me that is... Maybe Masahiro may wanna chip in too..."

"Kaito, you don't need to do that!" Lucia exclaimed with concern on her eyes. "Please... it's okay. You guys need the money for more important things, plus you guys aren't part of the band. I mean, it's worth a try but right now we should stick to the plan. We visit some music shops after we deal with the surf shops and find sponsors. If not, we can ask Nicola to loan us the money to buy new instruments!"

"Lucia, do you have an idea how much those high-end Fender guitars cost?" Kaito asked curiously with his arms crossed. "Even if you use the money you profited from Pearl Waters you're gonna have a huge debt on those guitars. You guys don't want us to chip in, Rihito doesn't want you guys to find sponsors... what other options do you guys have? We're not doing this because you guys are charity cases or anything like that. We're doing this because we're pretty much a tournament family..."

The group ended up in an argument regarding the musical instruments while Hippo slowly stepped away, trying not to get himself involved. "Oh for heaven's sake... I ain't gonna get involved in money squabbles like that. Stupid tournament committee are so damn cheap to buy higher-end amps for the guitars so we don't have to spend anything! This is really lame..."

As Hippo was backing away slowly, he accidentally bumped in to another boy his age from behind. "Yo, watch it, dude!" The boy exclaimed as Hippo turned around to see a dark-haired, baseball cap donning boy with a stack of small flyers on his left arm.

"Whatever, dude! I didn't see you there!" Hippo glared at the other boy, just as the boy recovered his poise.

"Anyway, since you're here, my uncle's music shop has a special contest going on right now." The boy handed him a flyer to Hippo, which the tall lanky blonde boy accepted it.

"What's this?" Hippo began to read on the flyer as the boy explained.

"In celebration of the First Annual Surf Scenes Tournament, which also includes the surf bands contest within this major event, the _Umioto Music Shop _is also promoting the newest Fender Guitar series as the new addition to our products beginning the week of the tournament. However, as part of our promotion, we are holding a contest an hour later today for all guitar players--- band members or not--- to play a very intriguing, powerhouse surf rock instrumental using our newest high-end Fender guitar products that we will be selling in the near future. Whoever wins the promotional contest will win those high-end new Fender guitars for free--- personalized with your name is also an option!"

Hippo's eyes widened in surprise. Right then he already knew another alternative for their new musical instruments problem. He turned to the boy and grinned happily. "Dude, you _are _the man!"

"You mean you know someone who may be interested in entering our surf instrumentals contest?"

"Hell yeah!" Hippo grinned and patted the boy on the shoulder. "Say, do these new _high-end _Fender guitars may possibly include the... um... you know... a Fender Jaguar and the most top-of-the line P-Bass?"

"Of course! Those are the exact guitars that we will begin selling very soon!"

"Like I said... you _are _the man!" Hippo grinned and folded the flyer. "Thanks for saving my life today!"

"Uh... sure... um... see you at our store later for the contest and good luck!" The boy grinned nervously as the two gave each other a hi-five and made their own separate ways.

Hippo returned to the crowd, where they were still discussing money issues and the changes within the tournament. Before things could go ugly between them, Hippo silenced everyone by handing the flyer to Taro. "Good! Now I got everyone's attention!"

"What's this, Hippo?" Taro asked curiously as he began to read what was in the flyer.

"This is going to solve all our money problems in dealing with new instruments, dudes!" Hippo exclaimed happily. "Well--- that is--- if we do end up entering that contest and win..."

Taro's eyes opened wide as he handed the flyer to Rihito, which he quickly skimmed through to see what the flyer was about. Lucia stared at them curiously, wondering what they were looking at in the first place.

"So, what do you think, Taro? Rihito?" Hippo asked curiously.

The two college-aged men turned to each other. "Hmm..."

"What do you mean by _hmmm_?"

"Well then," Rihito smiled at the others. "Shall we head off to _Umioto Music Shop_?"

Moments later, Kaito, Michal, and four of the five members of the OC-5 arrived at the front of Umioto Music Shop where there was a huge stage right across from it. There was a long line that lead to the side of the stage. Majority of the ones on that line were teenage to young adult males appeared on rebellious styles from pure rockers to wannabes. Kaito and Michal sat at the front row of the stage, despite that Michal wanted to sit at the back so she can be truly alone with the surfer boy of her dreams next to her.

"Kaito... why can't we sit at the back? I... I think we can have a better view of the stage from the back!" Michal suggested once more, looking very hopeful that Kaito may change his mind.

"Michal, if we sit at the back, some taller dudes may come by and sit in front of us, blocking our view. Besides, when it comes to OC-5, I like to sit at the front. I mean, it's all about the music and our fellow tournament teammates, you know? Besides... a band member admitted to me that I'm their lucky charm. They perform better when I'm watching them."

Michal gave a rather curious stare at Kaito. "What do you mean by _good luck charm_? Who on earth would say that to you?"

Kaito scanned the long line at the side and spotted Lucia talking with Rihito, Taro, and Hippo, possibly discussing about what song they were going to play once they get on stage. They also noticed that the only instruments available on stage are three guitars--- most definitely be the high-end Fender guitar series--- and a drum set. There was no keyboard or sax or any other accompanying instrument on sight. On the other hand, the OC-5 fifth member Rina Touin was not present either. As he gazed at his tandem surfing partner, his cheeks began to blush slightly without realizing it.

"Kaito--- are you okay?" Michal asked, trying to get his attention, and asked the same question. "Who told you that you're the band's _good luck charm_?"

The surfer boy snapped to reality and turned to Michal. "Your brother did."

"Eh...? My... brother? He actually said that to you...?"

"Don't forget about my strong musical background, Michal. Though I'm not really practicing in to music anymore I still have perfect ears to listen to the perfect pitches of a musical piece. If I give them simple facial reactions they know that there's something good or something bad happening at their performance. That's why I have to be at the front."

Michal became slightly suspicious and crossed her arms. "You know what I think, Kaito Doumoto? I think you spend too much time with my brother's boss' sister a lot that I think the only reason why you sit at the front is because of her!"

Kaito glared at Michal and denied the assumptions. "You assume too much, Michal. Besides, so what if she was the reason why I'm up here? It's not like I'm in prison or something..."

"You're not telling me the entire story, Kaito!" Michal glared and slightly turned her head away. "Who are you to her?"

"And who are you to ask me such a question, Michal? Why is it that every time you catch me staring at some random girl you give your usual outbursts and acting like we're dating or something? It's just way too weird..."

"... Are you in love with her, Kaito?"

"... huh?"

"Are you in love with Lucia Nanami, Kaito?"

Kaito fell silent, but still had that same glare on his face. However deep inside he could feel his heart beating rapidly. No matter how much he tried to play things cool in regards to love, his heart already knew that he was indeed deeply in love. "We're not here to discuss Lucia, Michal. We're here to see the band do their best to win and get their new instruments for free. I mean we're talking about your brother here for goodness sakes! I care about you, Michal, but seriously, if you keep reminding me how supportive you are of the Nijibe team for this coming tournament, you're not exactly showing it. You would root for me but you would not root for your brother and the band?"

Michal tightened her fists, contemplating on how to answer Kaito. Few moments later, she found her answer. "Why do you always treat me like a child, Kaito? Of course I support the entire Nijibe team--- I mean I'm a Nijibe resident too! But seriously, you never look at me as a real woman, Kaito... I'm only a year younger than you and Hanon Houshou is flirting with a boy two years younger than her! I only care about boys who are older than me because I'm not as immature as she is--- I can't even believe you even dated her at one point!"

"Enough, Michal!" Kaito suddenly burst out his annoyance at her, which startled Michal right away. "If you seriously want to know, I picked Lucia for my tandem surfing partner. That's why she and I were at the surf shop earlier today when Taro saw you and the rest of the band heading your way to our direction. We were searching for shapers who would shape us two tandem longboards for the tournament. Why do you always trip like the world's gonna end if I end up falling in love with some girl?"

"Gah!" Michal exclaimed in shock. "Lucia Nanami is _your _tandem surfing partner? Why? She's not even beach babe material! She doesn't even like wearing bikinis! And she doesn't know how to surf!"

Kaito turned his head and faced towards the stage where a band was already playing their performance currently. "Reason why I picked her for my partner. Unlike the rest of the girls I know, she has a different goal set when it comes to surfing. She didn't become interested in surfing just because of me. Her entire family knows about the surf including her little brother, who's a year younger than you. She's the only girl I know in my life who shares the same passion for surfing as I do even if she doesn't surf. She wanted to know more about surfing because she knows she's no expert. I suggested to her that the only way for her to understand further about surfing was for her to actually experience it. Having her as my tandem surfing partner was the perfect way for her to experience the sport."

Michal sighed deeply and lowered her head. "I guess you have a point... I obviously have little or no knowledge of surfing, simply because it's not my thing... but I have strong interests in classical music, but surf rock? I can't believe Rihito would take a break every summer just so he can be in this silly surf band!"

"Michal, this _silly _surf band is the only surf band Nijibe has, and they're going to be the ones who have a quest for the championship title for _Best Surf Band of the Year_. This isn't just for Rihito's resume, but they're competing for our hometown. Whether your brother being a part of the band or not, you shouldn't look down on them."

"Kaito, I know about your strong classical music background. I still forgive you for giving up classical music for surfing. I guess that's why I was so drawn in to you so much..."

"Gaito, my twin, has strong classical music background too, but he's the same as me more or less. And don't forget your brother's college roommate, bandmate, co-worker, and friend, Taro Mitsuki. He has classical music background too--- and he's going to be a teacher in my school once the summer vacation's over. You gotta give these guys credit for having a broad taste of music, not just classical."

Michal frowned with her arms crossed. "Alright, alright, Kaito. I'm sorry for being impatient with you. You do have the right to do whatever you want, after all."

"Thanks for respecting that, Michal. I appreciate it."

Just as the two were finished their short argument, a few more familiar greets arrived at their row when Rina, Masahiro, Hanon, and Nagisa arrived on spot. "Aaah! Kaito, I knew that was you from far away! Man, you're so easy to identify from the distance!" Hanon giggled and sat immediately on his other side while Nagisa sat next to her. "Oh, hi Michal. Let me guess--- the entire OC-5 is here, right?"

Michal nodded. "Yeah. We came here to look for you guys. You see, there's a few changes regarding the surf bands contest and somewhat... the tandem surfing contest too."

"Really?" Rina sat next to Michal while Masahiro sat on Rina's other side. "What sort of changes?"

"The bands are required to sing eight songs now instead of seven---" Kaito answered Rina's question when the tall, dark-haired tomboy beauty shrieked in shock.

"What? Eight? That's too much! We'll be tired... out of breath by the time we get to the eighth song!"

"Well, Rihito hasn't provided the entire story yet," Michal said. "It was just a quick thing because the band ended up arguing about dealing with replacing the instruments in to a more higher grade ones. It became a requirement of the surf bands too if they want to enter the tournament."

"Then again we have been talking about replacing our instruments with newer, higher-end ones," Rina said with her fingers under her chin. "I feel bad asking you rich peeps to loan us the money to buy the instruments and I'd also feel bad asking Nicola if she can spare some of the Pearl Waters profits too."

Masahiro placed his arm around Rina and whispered on her ear. "You know I'd do anything for you, Rina. If it's new instruments the band needs, I don't mind funding you guys. Maybe the Doumotos and even the Amagis here won't mind chipping in too..."

"Masahiro," Rina sighed, "you don't know the Nanamis. They're a very proud family when it comes to money. Sure, they're not exactly millionaires but somehow they feel that they have to find ways to fund themselves to get that huge something."

"So, um," Nagisa interrupted with his hand waving at the others. "We got here because we got curious about this new instruments lineup promotions at that Umioto Music Shop place and they have a special surf bands contest right now. Whoever wins gets to have their instruments upgraded with the new product lines absolutely free."

"That's why we're here, Nagisa," Kaito said with a smile on his face. "The OC-5 members are in line, waiting for their turn on stage. The product lines that music shop that's going to start selling happens to be the exact models that they want, so this is a huge opportunity."

Rina gazed at the stage and noticed that there was no keyboard on sight. "The band can't call themselves OC-5 because there are only four instruments--- my signature one happened to be not present."

"Wouldn't that mean that they have to use another name when they have a sign up for this contest, since it's just gonna be Lucia, Taro, Rihito, and Hippo?" Hanon asked curiously.

"Looks like they're going to have to," Masahiro responded. "But I'm pretty sure it'll be a temporary name. Besides, I don't think the entire town is familiar with OC-5 just yet since not everyone in Nijibe hangs out at the beach or even at Kaigara Boulevard where Pearl Waters is located."

Hanon still looked rather worried and turned to Rina. "Rina, aren't you worried about the rest of the band members? I mean... I'm only seeing three guitars and a drum set and no keyboard! Does that mean you won't be playing with the band?"

Nagisa sighed deeply and answered: "Isn't it obvious, Hanon? There are only four instruments on stage, meaning there's a limit of four members in a band for this particular competition."

"I'm not worried at all, Hanon," Rina answered with a smile on her face. "Rihito and Taro did compose some instrumentals without keyboard accompaniment, plus all of the instrumentals we've been practicing can be played without the keyboard. The music arrangement itself is most important and it should drive some adrenaline for all the surfers once they listen to it. The keyboard isn't the main instrument of a surf rock instrumental you know."

"Well, I'm getting worried!" Hanon sighed. "Poor Taro... poor Rihito... okay, poor Lucia and Hippo too... I wonder what they're going to do with just the four of them...?"

"I'm not worried either, Houshou," Kaito joined in. "I know how much you love to drool on both Taro Mitsuki and Rihito Amagi---"

Hanon shrieked and spanked Kaito on his shoulder. "I am not!"

"Hanon! How could you cheat on me like that?" Nagisa gasped in shock.

"We're not even dating, Nagisa!" Hanon shouted right at her tandem surfing partner with a frown on her face.

"Ha ha..." Kaito chuckled along with Michal and went back on subject. "As I was saying, I'm not worried about the rest of the OC-5 or whoever they're gonna be when they step up on stage. You don't know Taro Mitsuki."

"You don't know my brother either, Hanon," Michal added. "I've seen how those two work very hard when it comes to music--- classical or surf rock--- they're pure geniuses!"

Kaito snickered with an eyebrow raised. "Michal, I thought you said you're not in to surf rock earlier today?"

Michal raised an eyebrow at Kaito with a frown on her face. "There is nothing wrong with giving praise to my brother's and his friend Taro Mitsuki's special talents in music. After all, it's still music no matter what."

"O... kay..." Kaito slightly steered clear from Michal and turned his head towards the stage. The first band to perform for the instrumental contest was about to perform.

Meanwhile at the line where all the other bands were waiting for their turn, Lucia, Hippo, Taro, and Rihito were in a bit of a disadvantage. Though there were a lot of shoppers and bystanders at the seats to watch the Fender High-End Guitar series surf bands contest, the four of the five OC-5 band members were all the way at the end of the line. Lucia and Hippo began to worry after having their own observations with the rest of the bands ahead of them.

"Oh no... this is so embarrassing!" Lucia sighed with worry. "I... I'm the only girl in this entire line who's actually gonna play on stage..."

"And I'm the only under-thirteen kid in this entire line..." Hippo added with his arms crossed. "Not only that, but compared to all these dudes dressed up like wanna-be rebel punks ahead of us, we look like a bunch of wimps."

Taro turned to his two younger cousins and hushed. "Don't worry about it. Real surf bands actually wear a lot decent and clean cut. If you do your research with surf bands, many of them wear matching uniforms too."

"He's right, you know," Rihito added, giving attention to the Nanami Siblings. "And we've got an expert musical schoolteacher in our band too. With his genius, he's gonna school the entire competition on what a _real _surf band should be!"

"Speaking of _real _surf bands, Rihito," Hippo changed the subject. "When you were signing in the application form for this contest, what name did you put us under? We can't exactly introduce ourselves as OC-5 because there's only the four of us and changing it to OC-4 would be pretty awkward if you ask me..."

"Oh don't worry. We're not going to introduce ourselves as the OC-5. I mean, so far no one here recognized us from our last public appearances at the beach and at Pearl Waters on Friday nights."

"So we've got a different name then?"

Rihito nodded. "You'll see. You'll know once we get on stage."

Hippo crossed his arms, looking slightly suspicious at Rihito. Once the first band began playing their instrumental track, both Taro and Lucia felt the high quality, rich, and pure twanging sound ringing right through their sensitive ears and through their spine. Right then, the two guitarists felt a slight chill within them and both their bodies were now still like ice.

"Holy cow..." Taro murmured softly. "That, my friends... is a real deal Fender Jaguar..."

"You're telling me, Taro..." Lucia sighed in bliss, just listening to the rather haunting sounds of the Fender Jaguar guitars being played by the band currently on stage. "Now I see why we just gotta have those Jaguars, Taro..."

"This is why we gotta win those Fender Jaguars for free, Lucia..." Taro whispered. "If we play with thundering, haunting, chilling sounds like the Jaguar, victory will be ours at the tournament..."

Rihito cleared his throat and said: "If we lose in this contest, you got no choice but to let us _filthy rich _dudes fund this band for those Fender Jaguars. Besides, I need to upgrade my P-Bass too. I need a bass that can match the purity of the Jaguars."

Taro shrugged his arms. "Fine, fine. I guess calling out for sponsors is out of the question."

"We don't need corporate sponsors, Taro. We're locally made, man. We get everything from the good ol' hometown."

"Alright then. It's a deal." The two males shook hands, closing the conditions if they lose this short band contest.

A few moments later majority of the bands already performed on stage. The audience grew larger when word was spread throughout the shopping center that celebrity competitors of the tournament were present. Kaito and the competitive Rainbowside surfers like Nagisa and Masahiro immediately drew attention of the others to the promotional surf bands contest. It was then that the general public realized how important cutting edge, adrenaline-rushing musical tracks can be a very important role to the surfers.

Gaito and Sara, with Sara's sister Seira tailing them from behind, arrived at the seats where they spotted Kaito and the rest of their crew sitting at the front row. Once they arrived there, Gaito called out for his twin. "Kaito! What are you all doing slacking around?"

The Rainbowside surfers and the girls turned their heads and spotted Gaito, Sara, and Seira from the distance. Nagisa jumped up and asked curiously: "What the heck are you doing here, Seira?"

Seira stuck her tongue out. "You punks left me behind! You and Hanon... and then Hippo next? I'm not gonna miss all the fun here! I had to had Maki drive me all the way out here so I can catch up to you guys! Luckily I found my sister and Gaito, so here I am!" She then gazed at the entire scene and smiled happily. "Ah, now I see why Hippo left---- OC-5 is going to enter this _free high-end instruments _contest thing right? I don't understand why he didn't ask all you rich dudes to sponsor them...?"

"Seira, you don't know the Nanamis," Hanon answered with her arms crossed. "Well, since you're all here, let's all stay here for awhile until the band peeps do their thing!"

Gaito, Sara, and Seira took the second row, sitting behind Kaito and the others. "Whatever happened to searching for surfboard sponsors, Kaito?"

Kaito turned and glared at his twin. "This is your fault, Gaito! You had Taro Mitsuki hang out with Lucia and me! We were doing what we're supposed to be doing but we bumped in to Rihito, Hippo, and Michal here--- and then the whole instruments problem emerged. That's why we're here now because OC-5 is going to compete and win those higher-end instruments for free."

"Except they're not going to enter as the OC-5," Masahiro added. "Only reason being is because there are only four instruments present on stage, meaning there's a limit of four members in a band. No keyboards."

"That's why I'm here," Rina continued. "But knowing Taro and Rihito, I'm pretty sure they've come up with a bunch of other instrumentals without keyboard accompaniment."

"Heh," Gaito snickered as he made himself comfortable on his spot. "I know how those two work when it comes to music, especially Mitsuki. He really was a true student of music. Rihito too, of course."

"Man," Kaito frowned, looking bored while watching all the punk-derived bands performing their own instrumentals. "Lame... loud, but lame..." One thing he noticed that each band had some kind of a shouting call in the beginning before they perform and wondered if OC-5--- or rather the four-member OC-5--- would also do a type of shouting call before they begin performing. He even thought that maybe the shouting call would be similar to a _kiai_.

"Hey!" Michal cheered, tapping Kaito on the shoulder. "The contestant waiting line is shrinking. It's almost time for my brother and the band to perform!"

Back at the line, there were only two bands left to go up on stage. While the four of the five OC-5 members waited, the band behind them stared at them with curious looks. One of them spoke directly at them first. "Hey--- the audience belong to the seats below the stage!"

"Uh duh, that's why we're here," Hippo quickly responded to them. "The audience sit there. The competitors are on this line."

The band before them burst in to laughter with an obvious assumption that they were prejudiced by the way they appeared right at them and call themselves a rock band. The contest did read _surf rock instrumental _contest. With another assumption, the band before them were obviously not from Nijibe. "Little dude, you four--- are actually a band? You're kidding, right?"

"So what if we don't look cool to you people?" Lucia exclaimed with a furious expression on her face. "Just because I'm the only girl here and my brother is the only kid here, doesn't mean we can't rock the house like all the other dudes here! Those Fender Jaguars mean a lot to us and we're here to win them, you hear?"

Again, the band before them continued to laugh and another answered. "Whoa--- poor attempt at trash talking, girl. You're too sweet and cute to be hangin' around here. Go back to your fellow chick friends and gossip about your boyfriends or something---"

"Why you---" With a very unexpected action, Lucia attempted to launch herself at the boys with the intention of getting in to fist fights, but the boys with her immediately pulled her back.

"Lucia! Calm down!" Hippo warned his older sister as he pulled her back. Taro and Rihito stood in front of the two siblings and faced the band in front of them.

"Hey, come on, keep it cool, keep it cool..." Taro hushed them as Rihito gave a grin to the band ahead of them.

"I'm assuming you dudes aren't from around here, are you?" Rihito asked calmly.

"What's it to you? We're gonna rock the entire surf bands contest at the tournament coming up once we ultimately win those fresh and slick Fender Jaguars. Watch and learn, dweebs!" Another one of the band members declared right at them.

"Here's the deal, _bennies_," Rihito began his return statement. "Since you're so determined to win those Fender Jaguars, if you win this contest, we surrender our guitars to you—-"

Lucia's eyes opened wide and shouted: "Rihito! Are you insane? I'm not handing over my guitar to those losers--- it has sentimental value to me!"

"Lucia, just keep quiet!" Taro whispered on her ear as the girl reluctantly became silent.

"And if you don't win this contest, you surrender your guitars to us. Then we call it even." Rihito remained grinning at them while Lucia, Hippo, and Taro glanced at him with puzzled looks.

"Hey Taro!" Hippo called to his older cousin in a whisper. "What the hell are we gonna do with their guitars?"

"I have no idea, Hippo... that's Rihito for you..." Taro returned the answer in the same whispering level.

"See, either way, it's a win-win situation for you bennies," Rihito continued on setting his deal with the band in front of them. "We got a Fender series as our current instruments. If you do win, you get our instruments along with your Fender Jaguars. You can even pawn our instruments for solid cash because we've got the higher grade instruments back in the years before the companies released newer higher-end instruments. They're pretty much antiques and I can guarantee you the pawn shops are gonna want our stuff. How does that sound to you?"

"Uh... that sounds kinda shady---" One band member was skeptical but the rest of the band immediately agreed.

"Deal!" Rihito shook hands with the entire band, as their name was already called to perform on stage. He, Taro, Lucia, and Hippo finally reached the stairway where there was a burly, tough-looking, over sized bouncer guarding the way.

The bouncer looked at his list and then to the final four and read the last name on the list. "So, you're _Rite-O Seamoon and the Seven Seas_?"

"Yup! That's us!" Rihito grinned with a nod.

Hippo's eyes opened wide in shock and made his response: "What the hell kind of a name is that, Rihito? We sound more like sissies now than our appearances, man!"

Taro hushed Hippo and answered: "It's only a temporary name... not like we're going to use it for real."

"Still!" Hippo crossed his arms and glared at Rihito. "That name has gotta be the stupidest band name I've ever heard..."

The bouncer gazed at the rest of them and gave a nod. "Hey kid--- lemme guess--- you the drummer of this band?"

Hippo was startled at first when the bouncer asked the question, then answered. "Y-yes... I'm the drummer."

"Heh, good." The bouncer softly snickered. "I got a son who plays the drums--- my eight-year-old."

"Cool!" Hippo smiled happily. "I was seven when my sister enrolled me in to playing drums... and then in school I ended up in the marching band."

"Good for you, kid. I wish the rest of you luck up there when you take the stage. The band who's on stage now--- Surfee Surf and the Surfites, it says on this list--- are pretty cocky if ya ask me. Messing around with a nice young lady such as yourself..."

Lucia smiled humbly and waved her hand slightly. "Those losers are a bunch of prick punks... picking on me just because I don't look like some rocker chick..."

"Don't you fret, Lucia," Rihito answered with a smile on his face. "We're gonna send the entire competition back to music school and study more about surf rock. Taro could use his teaching credentials for that!"

"Yeah right!" Taro chuckled. "No. I'm a very responsible, diligent schoolteacher. I teach music enthusiasts, not wanna-be punk posers."

"Well either way, we're seriously gonna school them, that's for sure. Let's give these bands a little preview of their competition at the surf bands contest, shall we?"

The band before them, _Surfee Surf and the Surfites_, began performing their piece. Sure, it was loud, it was rushing, and the sounds of their instrumental truly affected the inner aura of every person in the audience, especially if they were either a surfer or a racer. Many members of the audience began to stand up and dance for the first time. There was no activity among the audience with the first few bands simply because the seats were not filled, but with the combined sounds of the bands surely attracted more bystanders and passerby shoppers in to watching this contest.

"Wow... they're... they're good!" Rina's eyes opened wide in shock. "They're what? _Surfee Surf and the Surfites_? Er... cheesy name but the track is far from cheesy... And it prompted everyone to get up and dance to it..."

Masahiro tapped Rina on the shoulder with a smile on his face. "Wanna dance?"

Rina scooted away from Masahiro with a glare on her face. "What the hell? You want me to dance to the song of the enemy? As if!"

"Ah, that's right... I forgot... I'm sorry..." Masahiro quickly held Rina tightly in to his arms as his part of his apology. "Well, either way, you guys will own this surf bands contest and the tournament's surf bands contest, that's for sure."

Rina sighed with worry. "I just hope Lucia and the dudes would come up with a better, ass-kickin' sound than these dudes on stage. It'd be pretty difficult to conquer this band's sounds without keyboard accompaniment--- ugh I'm so ticked they didn't include a keyboard there!"

"I don't know much about music, Rina, so I don't know anything encouraging to say except that... maybe in order to win those instruments that the band will have to seriously utilize its power and true sound of those instruments. If they do that, it'll just show the judges that they really want to win those instruments because they're putting heart in creating catchy tunes using the power of those instruments." Masahiro explained his opinion to Rina.

"That's exactly how Lucia and the dudes are going to take over this contest and win." From the side, the couple heard Kaito's voice.

"Eh?" Rina asked curiously. "Kaito, what do you mean?"

"These dudes on stage are okay. Pretty good jam but not very convincing for me if I were the judge. I don't know... their instrumental is lacking something."

"Lacking?" Masahiro asked curiously. "Their song is a pretty standard surf track, Kaito."

"Well, that's exactly what it is--- a standard surf track." Kaito continued with his explanation. "These dudes aren't really utilizing the power of those instruments. I mean, if I were the shop owner I'll have to demonstrate why these high-end Fenders are well-deserved to be purchased and should be used to play a high-quality, powerhouse monster track fit enough to be produced and recorded in to albums. They're promoting these instruments to be on sale later this week and people aren't just gonna by these instruments unless someone shows them what makes these instruments worthy of being purchased and used in all up and coming bands. That's the whole point of this contest."

"Hm, now that you mentioned it..." Rina murmured softly and continued on. "I'm hearing the lead guitar, but there's barely any licks and rolls. I could barely hear the rhythm guitar--- it's way too blended with the bass sound. I agree with Masahiro about this song being a _standard _surf track."

"I can never forget the things Lucia have been telling me about you guys, Rina," Kaito continued, recalling one particular quote Lucia said to him the first time she spoke about OC-5 weeks ago.

"_I'm not as good with the guitar as Taro... He's the lead guitarist and I'm just following him along."_

"If you guys have been paying attention with the formation of OC-5 ever since they _debuted _to the public weeks ago, what's one thing in common that all their surf instrumentals have?"

"I'm the keyboardist of OC-5. The answer's easy," Rina said confidently. "Taro is the lead guitarist, and his best skill in being a lead guitarists are the sweet licks and rolls he truly enjoys doing whenever we play instrumentals. Most of the legendary surf instrumental tracks have a lot of licks and rolls in there. It's like... that _King of Surf Guitar _gig, you know? Each _real _surf band should always have a lead guitarist with the _King of Surf Guitar _skills and for that to happen, they need to have the highest-end guitar..."

"Now I see why Taro was so anxious about that Fender Jaguar thing," Kaito nodded in agreement. "It's not the label or its value that he wants--- he wants its high-quality power it can deliver to the track and performance. He really is a true musician."

After a few moments, the current band on stage, Seiyo Valley's own _Surfee Surf and the Surfites_, finished their performance and they had a huge positive response from the audience. Once they stepped off of the stage, it was time for the four of the five OC-5 members to do their show. Taro turned to Lucia and whispered: "Remember what I thought you during rehearsals last weekend. We're playing that song..."

Lucia nodded with a smile on her face. "Ah... _that _song."

"Yeah," Rihito gave a wink. "Your dream dude is sitting up front. You know we made that instrumental for him. Show them your new skills, girl."

"I will!" When they reached the top of the stairs, the announcer on stage began to introduce their final contestant.

"Finally, we've reached to the end! Let's give it up for our final contestant of this very special contest--- our very own _Rite-O Seamoon and the Seven Seas_!" The audience applauded as Rihito, Taro, Lucia, and Hippo took their positions and their assigned instruments.

Kaito raised an eyebrow of uncertainty while the others also gave mixed expressions on their faces. "_Rite-O Seamoon and the Seven Seas_...?" Michal wondered curiously. "Where on earth Rihito came up with that name from?"

"How do you know your brother was the one who made up that crazy name?" Hanon asked curiously.

"He's my brother, Hanon. He's the only person I know who would come up with weird names like that."

"Although... I think I understand where Rihito got that strange name from..." Rina began her statement with a nod. "I think there's some kind of a ring to it."

"_Seven Seas_...?" Nagisa wondered curiously along with Hanon. "Why _Seven Seas_?"

"Because Lucia and Hippo's last name is literally translated as _seven seas_, Shiroi." Masahiro answered him quickly. "Rina's right. It does make sense. Rite-O and Sea-Moon are Rihito and Mr. M."

Just as the four-member _Rite-O Seamoon and the Seven Seas _band began to tune and adjust the guitars, the announcer stood next to Rihito to ask a few introductory questions before they begin. "So, you four are our very own, right?"

"Oh yeah. We live by the coast, so that's why we're not so well-known in the inner side of Nijibe," Rihito answered the announcer, trying to remain calm and cool at the same time without being obvious that he was lying. "But even if that's the case, we got a jam to dedicate to all you Nijibe _hotdoggers_ out there, and if you are a Nijibe _hotdogger_, get up from your seats and cry out---- _Banzai!_"

Right then, all the surfers, boys and girls, including Kaito, Masahiro, Nagisa, Gaito, Hanon, and Sara (due to tandem surfing), stood up from their seats and shouted along with Rihito: "_Banzai!_"

Once they cried that call out, the band began to play their track. The band have not come up with an official name for this particular instrumental, but for now they tentatively named it _For Surfers Only_. Once the intro chords were played, to a surprise to some people, Lucia stepped up and began to show off her newly-earned guitar licking and rolling skills on the lowest, bass-level notes on her assigned _Fender Jaguar_ rhythm guitar. Just with the guitar licking alone immediately caught Kaito's attention.

_You really are full of surprises, Lucia... you're seriously rockin' right now, girl! _Kaito grinned as he found almost everyone getting up from their seats and began to dance. After Lucia's introductory lick, Taro took over, using everything that the Fender Jaguar provided him as he took command of the instrumental. The thundering, roaring, clean, loud, and at times mesmerizing sounds of the higher-end Fender guitars somehow brought the true definition and essence of what a real surf rock instrumental should sound like. Apparently for the OC-5, this particular surf rock track was just a small warm up for them. In other words, there was definitely more where that came from.

Kaito's prediction of Taro's intention with the Fender Jaguar was nailed to the target. The guitar licking and rolling of the Fender Jaguar lead guitar was so mesmerizing that the sound itself captured each heart and soul of the surfers getting themselves absorbed in to the song. At the same time for them, it was also an urgent call that the surf of their waters were getting up that they just had to rush to the beaches and claim their surf with their signature boards.

About two hours later at the parking lot, the boys brought the new Fender Jaguar set at Taro's trunk of his sport utility vehicle. Though the judges' decision was a close call, they were convinced that Rihito, Lucia, and Taro knew how to utilize the Fender Jaguars more than the guitarists of the Surfee Surf and the Surfites band delivered earlier that they gave their final decision to the temporary _Rite-O Seamoon and the Seven Seas_ band. It took about an hour or so for the newly-won Fender Jaguar set to be customized by the music shop guitar experts to engrave and print their names and the real band name, OC-5, on to the surface of the guitars' headstocks. Rihito explained to the owners why they used a different name other than their official name and the judges understood. The OC-5 name would not make sense with just four members.

"Oh man!" Lucia exclaimed happily as Taro and Rihito loaded their new Fender Jaguar set in the trunk. "I can't wait until the tournament! OC-5 is going to own the surf bands contest with the sweetest sounds of our new Fender Jaguars! I'm so excited! So anxious! So..."

"Stoked?" From behind, Kaito startled Lucia with a single answer.

"Um.. yeah!" Lucia chuckled right then. Kaito approached closer and gently gave a very light punch on her shoulder. "Hey!"

"You guys were seriously rockin' up there! I thought you didn't know how to do licks?" Kaito asked curiously.

"Oh, I'm picking up, bit by bit. Taro helped me out when needed and I thought it'd be a nice surprise."

"Yeah. That was a major surprise."

Taro closed the trunk door, all ready and loaded up. He turned to Rihito with a curious look. "So, Rihito... how'd you, Hippo, and Michal get here? I thought you can't drive?"

Rihito pointed his thumb to a very fresh, fancy-looking ivory-colored Rolls Royce along with the family chauffeur. Michal was already inside when Hippo opted to ride along with Taro and the rest of the surf band. "You know us Amagis--- we gotta head to all places with style, dude."

"Right..." Taro raised an eyebrow. "Of course, Rihito. Good thing no one noticed you peeps are from the high-class estates of Nijibe." Rihito responded to him with a grin on his face. The two friends gave each other a pump fist exchange as Rihito headed to his Rolls Royce where Michal was waiting for him.

Just as everyone was getting inside, Kaito gently dragged Lucia back for a few moments, away from everyone at Taro's vehicle. What Kaito did not notice was that they were slightly close to the Amagis' parked Rolls Royce, right at Michal's side, not to mention that regardless of the distance that those at Taro's vehicle began to eavesdrop by tailing the two quietly.

"Hey! What's going on?" Lucia asked curiously.

"I... uh..." Though Kaito looked rather confident with his intentions, he found himself stiff in nerviness again. "It's just that..."

"What is it, Kaito?" Lucia answered with her usual humble smile, keeping herself from becoming shaky at that moment.

"Uhh... what's your schedule like on Saturday before tournament week?"

Lucia gave a soft chuckled and answered him directly. "Well, I work, as always--- unless if there's going to be another important tournament-related event that I have to participate on--- like more band rehearsals... You planning on doing tandem surfing practice the entire day or something?"

Kaito shook his head. "You forget--- it's the Nijibe town summer festival. Remember?"

"Ah!" Lucia shrieked with her eyes opened wide. "That's right! I can't believe I forgot about that! It's the most happenin' celebration of the entire town! No Nijibe townsfolk would ever miss that event! We close Pearl Waters during festival day!"

"Guess that means you're free then." Kaito gave a light grin. "Anyway... I don't plan on any intense tandem surfing practice that day. I just thought that we should... you know... hang out together that's not... uh... surfing-related."

"Oh... wow..." At that moment Lucia's heart began to beat rapidly, wondering where Kaito was leading at. "Hang out... that's not... surfing-related...?"

"Well... yeah... not... surfing-related..." Without anyone else noticing at this moment, Kaito found himself blushing at the thought. "I mean... we always talk about surfing all the time... and whenever we hang out, there's always surfing involved... I guess you could say that... uhh..."

At that time, Hanon, who was hiding with the others behind parked cars, felt very anxious at this rather sweet moment, turned to the others. "Oh my god! Is Kaito asking Lucia out? This sounds like a D-A-T-E!" Quickly the rest of the eavesdroppers hushed her down. "Aww... but... but look... this is the moment!"

"Will you shut up and keep your voice down, Hanon?" Rina gritted her teeth, whispering right at her. Everyone fell silent as they continued to listen.

"Are you... are you... asking me... out...?" Lucia murmured nervously, trying to clarify what exactly Kaito's intentions were.

"What was that...?" Kaito asked immediately, who was also unclear with what Lucia was murmuring just now.

"Uh, that is... um... are you... um... well..." Lucia gulped nervously, still trying to keep herself cool and calm and not end up shaking. "Do you want to... I mean..."

Kaito then decided to answer her without the constant stuttering. "I'm asking you out on a date, Lucia---"

"Oh!" Lucia gasped with her hands on her open mouth. "Kaito..."

"Uh, look, Lucia, just forget about that part. I didn't mean to scare you---"

"No! Kaito--- of course, I'd love to go to the festival with you! I mean... I don't care what we do--- surf talk, song talk, people talk, school talk, competition talk... as long as I'm with you..."

"Yeah?" Kaito grinned blissfully right when he heard the latter from Lucia. "Really?"

"Um... well... you did say that if I stick with you, I won't fall... right?" Lucia quickly found her answer before she ended up confessing her true feelings to him. Though at the moment Kaito had no single reaction or some kind of recognition from her being Leolani, Lucia thought that maybe during the festival that she would finally find the courage to reveal herself as the long lost love he yearned for almost all his life.

"Heh... you're right. I did say that! Ha ha ha..." Kaito burst in to laughter as Lucia joined moments later. Afterwards, Kaito cleared his throat. "Well, we got a lot of stuff to train on with tandem surfing these coming days. You were strong and brave earlier today and I'm really proud of you."

"Thanks! I told you, I'll do everything I can to get things right before competition."

"That's the spirit, girl!" Right then, the two exchanged pump fists with each other just like any Rainbowside surfer would do with one of their own. "Well, we better head back."

"Eek!" Hanon shrieked softly, which startled all the other eavesdroppers. "We gotta head back now---"

"Hurry before they come this---" Nagisa was going to complete his statement when Lucia and Kaito appeared right in front of them. "Erm... that is..."

"What the hell are you pricks doing here? Are you spying on us again?" Kaito exclaimed with a slight furious expression on his face.

Just as the group began to contemplate and find a good excuse, Rina stood up and answered. "We weren't spying, Kaito! It's just that I lost an earring and that we're here looking for it!"

Lucia stared at Rina with a curious expression. "But Rina... you don't wear earrings..."

"Uhh..." Rina gulped nervously, realizing her mistake. "They're brand new--- and they're from Masahiro--- and I was just trying them on and I accidentally dropped it, so now we're... um... looking for it..."

"And uhh--- they're expensive too, so it's important we find it... Yeah!" Hanon added with a nervous grin on her face.

"Right..." Kaito lifted an eyebrow of suspicion at the two girls when from a short distance, Masahiro stood up and raised his fist.

"Found it!" Masahiro grinned, revealing a very tiny hoop earring between his fingers. "I found it, Rina. Come on, let's head back!"

"Uh... thanks, Masahiro! Thanks so much!" Rina quickly ran from Kaito and Lucia and joined Masahiro to the side. As the others went ahead of them, Masahiro slowly handed the stud earring to Gaito, who was walking in front of him.

"Thanks for the earring, Gaito," Masahiro whispered softly. "Whew, that was close! I owe you one!"

"Don't be so sure you're off the hook yet." Gaito whispered in return. "Kaito doesn't get fooled that easy."

Meanwhile, Kaito and Lucia followed the others from behind, with Lucia still looking puzzled while Kaito still remained suspicious. "Wow... I guess Rina does wear earrings after all... I mean she always wears her hair down so her long hair always covers her earrings..."

"I don't know... something's fishy... I'm not buying it..." Kaito muttered his suspicion. "This isn't the first time they did this to us, you know."

As everyone headed to Taro's vehicle where Taro had been waiting at the driver's seat and Hippo at the rear seat, back at the Amagi Rolls Royce, Michal expressed a slight glare on her face along with her arms crossed. "I can't believe what I just heard--- my beloved Kaito Doumoto actually asked that Nanami girl to the festival with him? He's got to be lying!"

Rihito, sitting next to Michal, gave a slight suspicion on Michal's reaction. "I heard it too, Michal. Kaito sure isn't very good at looking at the most private spots sometimes..."

Michal tightened her fist in chagrin and turned to her brother. "Are you deaf, Rihito? Kaito just asked Lucia out on a date to the town festival! That's just wrong! Who does she think she is--- that Lucia Nanami...?"

"Michal, Lucia had nothing to do with that. It was Kaito who asked her out and she accepted the invitation. I'll have to repeat it one more time if I have to just so that fact can get in your head."

"I won't have it!" Michal shrieked, shaking her head with her hands on the sides. "I don't care if it's Kaito who initiated the move—- I won't allow Lucia Nanami to date my beloved Kaito Doumoto, you hear me?"

"You're being ridiculous right now, Michal. It's only a one-day date! It's not like Kaito asked Lucia to be his girlfriend. And besides, you don't have a choice. They're a tandem surfing team. They can't be apart or else they won't do well at the tournament---"

"I swear, Rihito, I knew there was something fishy about that tandem surfing competition thing. It's like... a surfer's method of matchmaking... There's no way some simpleton like Lucia Nanami is going to win Kaito's heart. She's just way out of his league!"

"Why is that, Michal?" Rihito asked curiously. "Was it because she's not from the upper crust like us and Kaito's family? This is the reason why I continued to convince you to spend more time with me during our summers hanging out at the beach with all the dudes and everyone else several times in the past, but you were too stubborn and too stuck up to even consider this daily Nijibe routine. Majority of the Rainbowside surfer dudes are from the upper crust. Surfboards aren't cheap, you know."

"Ugh, whatever, Rihito. Obviously you are not being a good older brother to me at the moment!" Michal crossed her arms and turned her head away from him.

"And you're just being a spoiled, conceited little brat---" Right at that moment, Michal immediately slapped Rihito on the cheek. Though the pain stung his cheek, the older Amagi remained in his usual cool composure. After a few moments of silence between the siblings, Rihito turned to the chauffeur. "Driver... please take us back home. Michal needs to go home."

Once the band and the surfers arrived at Pearl Waters, the individual surfers who were currently working at Pearl Waters (while Kengo and Daichi remained lounging at the juice bar checking out girls passing by) became excited to hear the news of the band with the temporary name of _Rite-O Seamoon and the Seven Seas _winning the contest that earned them their fresh, high-class Fender Jaguar guitar set. Everyone became anxious with how the guitars looked like from the shape, the functions, right to the color schemes.

"Dude, those are some sweet-lookin' Jaguars!" Kengo exclaimed in awe, staring at the ocean-themed colors that the music shop provided them for their prize. "And you competed in a small surf bands contest just to get these?"

"Those also included a lifetime warranty too!" Lucia answered proudly as she opened the guitar case that had her name on the tag. "This is mine--- ice blue metallic!"

The girls gathered around Lucia to have a closer look at her new ice blue metallic-colored Fender Jaguar. "Hey, this is a pretty nice color, Lucia!" Noel complimented the new guitar. "It's not too bright, not too dark. It's like... subtle, calm, and clean!"

"Blue doesn't suit you at all, Lucia." Hanon made a slight snide comment with a smirk on her face. "Why didn't you ask the music shop people to get you a pink one?"

"Because they don't have any pink Jaguars, Houshou." From behind her, Kaito answered with his arms crossed. "Not all Fenders come with a huge assortment of colors, you know. Do you have an idea how much work these people have put in perfecting the colors of one guitar alone?"

"Well, I like pink," Lucia joined in the conversation. "But I know that I can't own everything in pink. Guitars such as Fenders are one of the few exceptions, but I'm happy with this ice blue metallic color. Besides--- it has my name on it!"

Taro opened his guitar case and revealed a sunburst-colored Fender Jaguar. He took it out and began to examine its quality from the strings to the embedded Fender logo on a few parts of the guitar. As he was examining, Maki arrived at the stage area, curious at the commotion going on at the dining area.

"I see you have acquired new instruments, Taro." Maki said and sat on the edge of the stage next to the young musician. "I thought you had lack of funding to even afford these?"

"We won them in a contest earlier today." Taro answered him and showed him the flyer as well as other paperwork to prove that there was a contest going on and that the guitars were guaranteed free.

"Good for you, Taro." Maki patted him on the shoulder with a smile on his face. "I think today is a day of celebration. Nicola asked me to ask you to take over as manager for tonight's business hours until she returns."

"Hm? Really?"

Maki nodded. "Yup. She's meeting someone... she didn't exacty provide me the details."

"Huh, interesting. Must be business-related..."

"Oh, I wouldn't go that far, Taro. They're meeting at the beach."

Taro's eyes widened in shock. "Beach?!"

Maki nodded his head again. "And it's not just any beach, Taro." While the others were back in their usual business with the exception of Lucia trying to play a few soft chords of her new Fender Jaguar while Kaito, Hanon, Nagisa, Rina, and Masahiro watching her play, Maki looked around to be sure no one intentionally overhearing them. He then bent towards Taro's ear and revealed the location.

"No... no way..." Taro's eyes opened wide with surprise. "You're kidding... right?"

Maki shook his head. "Surfboard, wax, wetsuit, everything..."

"Wow... I wonder who she's going to meet over there..."

Meanwhile at the S-Cube beach, many of the remaining non-competitive Rainbowside surfers were packing themselves up and loading up their bus converters as the day of surfing was about to end. After the talk that she had with Hippo earlier about her personal intentions and the deal with the family past, Nicola knew that it was time to end this internal torture that she has been living with for the past seven years. She did not greet the younger generation of Rainbowside surfers or even showed herself as a stranger. She would rather arrive alone with no distractions.

After she waited in her pickup truck for fifteen minutes until the youngsters headed inside the headquarters, she stepped out, all donned in her steamer-style wetsuit. She carried her old longboard with her and a _lei _ and trekked to the sands. Once she noticed that the coast was clear, she proceeded to the water. Just as she was about to touch her foot on to the water, she noticed two strangers appearing from the distance to her left side. As the two strangers got closer she determined that these were two young girls, one older than the other, but most certainly younger than her. The younger one looked rather pale and somewhat slow, however she donned a shorty-style wetsuit and her thinning hair short and in pigtails.

Nicola placed her _lei _on the sand next to her surfboard and approached the two girls. Once the three encountered each other, the older girl gazed right at Nicola's radiant, natural beauty, then slightly bowed to her. "Thank you... thank you so much for this meet."

"I'm glad you two made it." Nicola answered with a confident smile on her face. "You two did not get lost, did you?"

The younger girl shook her head with a grin on her face. "We had to escape the nurses so we can get out of here!"

"You must be Momoka," Nicola guessed her name. The younger girl nodded. "It's nice to meet you."

"I'm happy to meet you--- finally!" The younger girl cheerfully answered and embraced Nicola as if they knew each other for the longest time. "I think I'm ready to die now..."

"Momoka, don't say that!" The older girl, Mamie Matsumura, shrieked and placed her arms around her younger sister. "Please... don't say things like that."

"Oh Mamie..." Momoka giggled and returned her embrace. "I'm sorry. But you know... I want to be happy for the rest of my life--- that is--- whatever days I may have have left. I want to thank that someone who answered you on that _Surfer Styles _forum website."

"I'll pass the message to him," Nicola gave a simple answer and patted Momoka on the shoulder. She tried to prevent herself from shedding tears of heartbreak, knowing that very soon this young girl Momoka will finally surrender to the leukemia cancer and end her life. Though she knew there was nothing else left since there were no bone marrow donors available to save the poor child's life. "Well... are you ready, Momoka?"

"Uh huh!" Momoka quickly gave her older sister another hug as she ran next to Nicola. The two girls ran to the longboard when Momoka noticed the white jasmine _lei _next to the board. "Oh! I'm sorry..."

"Hm?" Nicola wondered what the girl meant. "What do you mean?"

"You have loved ones who drowned in the sea...?"

Nicola fell silent for a few moments and then gave a deep sigh. "Yeah. My parents. I was thinking of paddling out there... and say my final words to my parents' spirits... and drop the _lei _in to the ocean. It's a long story."

"You know... I know I'm going to die very soon. When that time comes... I want my parents to bury me down to the sea. Many of the surfing world's greatest surfers who passed away are scattered to the center of the sea, knowing that no matter what happens, these surfers will always be one with the _kai_ for eternity."

"Oh Momoka..."

"My family and I were all born in the same house right across from the beach. And somehow, I feel that we're all connected to the mighty _kai_. My relatives--- most of them are surfers--- were all scattered to the sea when they die. I think it's a lot more beautiful this way than being buried under land. At least the sea is a lot cleaner than dirt..."

Nicola quickly shook her head and patted Momoka on the shoulder. "Well... um... let's not talk about death. Don't think about death. Right now, you're still alive, and you should live your life the way you want it. Today is a great late day for surfing, Momoka. The mighty _kai _isn't just calling for dedicated souls to it, but it also calls out for all surfers to come and encounter it and ride with it. So, ready to tandem surf?"

"Tandem surfing? Really? That's just so awesome!" Momoka giggled as the two carried the simple longboard to the sea and the two began to paddle right to the sea.

They stayed at a particular spot for a few moments until the breakers arrived. Once that happened, with Nicola's instructions, the two ladies rode the surf on one board. Momoka even asked Nicola to pretend they were in a tandem surfing competition, and playing the role of the male surfer, she lifted the very light twelve-year-old girl on to a knee stand as Momoka showed off her form to the sky. On land, Momoka's older sister Mamie watched them and waved right at Momoka, who simply was just having fun being on the wildest ride ever, just enjoying as the countdown began.

Minutes later, the three ladies rested on to Nicola's beach blanket, nibbling on some finger sandwiches Nicola brought in her picnic basket. The three talked simply about surfing in general, their favorite surfers in the surfing world, and of course, the tournament. Momoka did not want to talk about her condition, knowing that this may probably the last time she would ever hang out with her biggest surfing idol.

"I want to see the surf scenes tournament." Momoka said as she nibbled slowly on her finger sandwich. "I wish I would live long enough to see the tournament... I wanna hang out with you, Cole... and I wanna see all my other favorite surfers competing too! I wanna see Kaito Doumoto in person owning the boys' surfing competition and even in tandem surfing too! But..." Right then, she trailed her statement and found herself shedding tears from her eyes.

"Momoka, what's wrong?" Mamie asked with worry, trying to hold her tears back.

The sickly girl threw her arms around Mamie and cried on her shoulders. "I thought... I'm ready to die... but I'm not... I'm not ready to die, Mamie... I don't want to die... I want to live because... I want to grow up and have my chance to be a real surfer... I wanna be the next _Gorgeous Gidget_ like Cole Seahart! I don't want to be just a spectator anymore, Mamie..."

"Momoka..." The two sisters had their moment of tears, comforting each others, while Nicola watched them.

"Mamie... I don't want to die... I want to be the next _Gorgeous Gidget_..."

"_Gorgeous... Gidget..._?" Nicola murmured the two words and began to recall that one special moment when she won the award and title for her victories at her past local surfing competitions and her dedication to promote the sport of surfing to all the girls in town. She did many other contributions she had forgotten because she was too focused on getting her parents' attention from all the hype and media for being one of the greatest tandem surfers in history. She did a lot more than just promoting surfing to girls her age. She remembered attending summer camps with all the local girls at different coastal locations and also recalled being an instructor to her fellow summer camp girls on how to surf. Because of all the things she accomplished, both as a competitor and as a dedicated surfer in life, not to mention her close relationships with the Rainbowside male surfers, she had won the title of _Gorgeous Gidget of the Year _at age twelve--- Momoka's age.

At that moment, she found herself shedding her own tears, as she began to think of her siblings, Lucia and Hippo. It was then that she realized that she had not been a good older sister to her own siblings, and seeing Mamie's future mourning for her younger sister, she curled herself and continued to cry silently. _Of course... Momoka is twelve-years-old... and I was only twelve when I became that year's Gorgeous Gidget..._

"One day, Momoka..." Nicola answered, wiping off her tears, as the sisters lifted their heads at her. "You will be _Gorgeous Gidget of the Year_. I want you to live longer too. I'll do whatever I can to find help..."

"But... the only way to save Momoka's life is a bone marrow donor that matches Momoka's bone marrow identity too..." Mamie said with concern.

"I know... and I think I have an idea on how we can get bone marrow donors..."

Night came and it was time for the three ladies to part. Nicola was interested in meeting with the Matsumura Sisters again. She thought about finding help in saving the poor girl's life after hearing Momoka's reasons why she wanted to live longer. When the three parted and she arrived back at Pearl Waters, she quickly headed to her office and began to dial the regional bone marrow transplant organization to find more information about saving someone's life from terminal illnesses such as leukemia. She remembered seeing an advertisement somewhere in today's newspaper and used the contact information to call the organization, which was why she had the idea she mentioned earlier to the sisters.

"Hello?" Nicola answered after the phone was picked up. "I... I have an idea on how you can get donors... Why don't you open up a booth at the regional surf scenes tournament and have sign ups and testing for those who are potentials?... That's right. You just need to contact the tournament committee for permission... Oh, my name?"

She paused right when the representative answered her phone. She began to think on how she was going to identify herself. She began to think about her fun earlier with the dying girl and the name she used to refer to her as. Furthermore, she thought of her talk with Hippo regarding hiding from the public and being in the comfort zone. At that point, Nicola knew that she cannot keep herself hidden from the public anymore that she turned back to the representative to answer the question.

"Seahart." Nicola answered. "My name is Cole Seahart. You know... the last--- no--- the _current Gorgeous Gidget_ of Nijibe..."

* * *

_**Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch **is © 2003 Pink Hanamori and Michiko Yokote. All songs used are © respected songwriters/owners. No copyright infringement intended._

_**RATED T** for the VERY mild language and slight adult situations._

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_

_A brand-new (and hopefully it'll grow in the near future) **fan message board **is now open! Come and visit **Pearl Waters **at (FFnet still won't link outside links...). Discussion about this fic will be in that forum, so I encourage all current readers to get together over there! Please join and spread the news to everyone! We could use some activity there. ^^;_

_#1 – **Halulu** – a legendary mythological man-eating bird (Hawaiian Mythology). It's also a common Hawaiian name that means "chatterbox" or "loudmouth."_

_#2 – **Fender Guitar Series** – The **Fender (Electric) Guitar Series** were used in surf rock from the late '50s, '60s, and even for indie (surf) rock bands today. The Stratocaster (or "Strat") is the most standard guitar used for both lead guitar and rhythm guitar in a surf band, but higher-end models such as the Jaguar, Mustang, and Jazzcaster have a richer, louder, and cleanly pure sound and are highly preferred. The most expensive, as well as the one that provides a very rich and "in-your-face" bass guitar, for the bass guitar is the Fender American Deluxe Precision Bass (or P-Bass for short). **Fender Musical Instruments Corporation **was founded in Southern California (Fullerton) in 1946 but moved its main headquarters to Scottsdale, Arizona._

_#3 – **Wahine –** The female version of **kahuna**. If you remember what **kahuna** means, then a **wahine **is the female **kahuna**. Sometimes a wahine is the girlfriend of the kahuna, but that's not always the case. She could also be the "rival" of the kahuna himself!_

_#4 – **Ludwig Kit** – **Ludwig **is a popular drum kit product label. It was one of the most popular drum labels used by surf bands from the past and the present._

_#4 – **Umioto (Music Shop) –** "umioto" (_海音_) = "ocean sound"_

_#5 – **Rite-O Seamoon and the Seven Seas –** Yes, a cheesy name, but this style is what a typical surf band name would be (even with the bands at the surf rock revival era of the '90s and today would have names like these no matter what country that band may be (Japanese surf bands also have names like these)). Obviously, the group name is based on Rihito's and Taro's surf nicks (Rite-O and Sea-Moon) and Lucia and Hippo's last name (Nanami (_七海_) = "seven seas")._

_#6 – **Kiai** (_気合_) – Applicable to all martial arts, the **kiai** ("HEEEEE-YAAAA!!" - for example) is the natural shouting call to release and build up power and energy of a warrior or practitioner when they strike (whether they were punching or kicking) a chosen target. In Korean, it's known as a **kiyup** (I had to mention because I trained in Tae Kwon Do back in college, but I only got up to a red belt though--- close to black belt). There's no term for a shouting call regarding surf bands though._

_#7 – **Bennies –** Surfer term for non-local surfers or out-of-town visitors to the beach or a beachside town._

_#8 – "**King of Surf Guitar" –** Originally the nickname of legendary surf guitarist Dick Dale. From what I picked up through the net, this is now generally a surfer nickname to a lead guitarist of a surf band who is very skilled with guitar licks and rolls. In the case of this fanfic, that would be Taro Mitsuki._

_#9 – **Hotdogger –** a hardcore, die hard, super-skilled surfer._

_#9 – **Banzai! **- A common Japanese war cry or patriotic cheer, first heard (to foreign ears?) during World War II by the Japanese Imperial Army. It was later adapted in Hawaiian and Californian surf cultures in the late '50s, in which surfers also cry this term out once they hear someone call out "Surf's up!" **Banzai! i**s also an equivalent to the other surfer cheer, C**owabunga!**_

_#10 – **Steamer-style wetsuit –** a full-body version of the wetsuit. In the MMPPP anime, Kaito usually wears steamer-style wetsuits, along with the shorty-style wetsuits (short-sleeved, short-pants) when he surfs for both competition and recreation._

_#11 – **Lei –** If you're unfamiliar with the basics of Hawaiian culture (especially to all you fellow Americans out there...), a **lei **is a flower necklace or wreath. It's what you receive from the locals once you land on the airport at Honolulu and what you receive everywhere in the islands._


	15. Surfer Moon Part 2

**RIDE THE WILD SURF  
a Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch Fanfiction**

by Adrimarie

**Surfer Moon (Part 2)**

**FRIDAY NIGHT - 8/21  
**_(2 Days Before Day 1 of the Regional Surf Scenes Tournament)_

_**JAPAN PRO SURFING ASSOCIATION (JPSA)**_

_in association with_

_**SURFRIDER FOUNDATION JAPAN  
REGION OF SHONAN OCEAN SPORTS COUNCIL**_

_**TOWN COUNCIL OF NIJIBE**_

_Proudly Presents_

_**THE 1st ANNUAL SHONAN REGIONAL SURF SCENES TOURNAMENT**_

_**Individual Shortboard & Longboard Surfing / Tandem Surfing  
Beach Babe Beauty Contest / Surf Bands Contest**_**  
****_August 23rd – August 30th _**

_**Nijibe Central Beach**_

_**Kaigara Boulevard Sector Beaches**_

_**Nijibe, Shonan**_

_**OFFICIAL SCHEDULE OF THE 1st ANNUAL SURF SCENES TOURNAMENT**_

_**8/22 (Saturday)  
**Tournament Preview Day Press Conference (8:00 – 11:00) - Nijibe Central Beach_

_Nijibe Summer Festival (17:30 – 23:00) - Nijibe Central Town Square & Nijibe Central Beach_

_**8/23 (Sunday)  
**Opening Ceremony & Luncheon (9:00 – 14:00) - Nijibe Central Beach_

_**8/24 (Monday)  
**Regional Surf Scenes Beach Babe Beauty Pageant (14:00 – 18:00) - Kaigara Boulevard Sector 3 Beach _

_**8/25 (Tuesday)  
**Women's Division Surfing Championships - Kaigara Boulevard Sector 7 Beach  
Shortboard Competition (9:00)  
Longboard Competition (14:00 – 16:00)  
_

_**8/26 (Wednesday)  
**Men's Division Surfing Championships - Kaigara Boulevard Sector 7 Beach_

_Shortboard Competition (9:00)  
Longboard Competition (14:00)  
_

_**8/27 (Thursday)  
**Regional Surf Scenes Surf Band Contest - Nijibe Central Beach Auditorium  
Surf Rock Instrumentals Segment (19:30 – 22:30)_

_**8/28 (Friday)  
**Regional Surf Scenes Surf Band Contest - Nijibe Central Beach Auditorium  
Pop & Vocals Segment (19:30 – 22:30)_

_**8/29 (Saturday)  
**Regional Surf Scenes Surf Band Contest - Nijibe Central Beach Auditorium  
Tandem Surfers' Performance (8:00 – 19:30)_

_Regional Surf Scenes Tandem Surfing Championships (13:00) - Kaigara Boulevard Sector 7 Beach_

_**8/30 (Sunday)**__  
__Crowning of the Team Champions & Final Ceremony (10:00) - Nijibe Central Beach_

After almost a month and a half of intense training, intense testing, intense chilling, and intense romancing, the entire town of Nijibe and all of its competitors around their region including their arch rival Seiyo Valley prepared their battle tactics and armament to take on the region's best surfers and swingers and claim the throne title of the _Regional Surf City of the Year_ and other titles to be awarded to selected deserving individual contestants. Despite of the new changes added a few weeks ago, all teams quickly adjusted to these changes.

This Friday night at Pearl Waters was yet another night of another OC-5 performance. Showing off their new Fender Jaguar guitar series, the band had been giving previews of the songs they will be using for the surf bands contest, which became a three-day event instead of a two-day event as it was originally planned due to the final song the bands had to do that involved their representing tandem surfing couples to have a song and dance performance before the actual tandem surfing championships event begin. These past few weeks, there were some changes around Pearl Waters and the staff. Tonight in particular, Pearl Waters was a complete full house as the small coastal restaurant and beverage bar became the official gathering place of the Nijibe surf scenes team and its fans and supporters.

While the entire house were too busy partying and having fun on the floor, dancing and jamming to the very cool, oceanic OC-5 surfer rock sound, Gaito and Sara were sitting at one of the corner tables away from where the party was taking place. It was not because they wanted to be alone like most couples do, but because Gaito was showing Sara the confirmation papers he received from the tournament committee after he submitted their contest entry with all the names of the team players and the events they will be participating on.

"So, this is the final list?" Sara asked curiously just as her young boyfriend handed her the papers. "Wow, we really are prepared!"

"Look it over, Sara. I need a third opinion to be sure that I have everyone's names on."

Sara read the team list sent by the tournament committee and checked to make sure that everyone's names are there:

_**THE 1st ANNUAL SHONAN REGIONAL SURF SCENES TOURNAMENT**  
**Official Team Roster: Rainbowside Surf Tribe **(Nijibe, Shonan Region)_

_**8/24 (Monday)**  
Regional Surf Scenes Beach Babe Beauty Pageant (14:00 – 18:00) - Kaigara Boulevard Sector 3 Beach_

_**Contestant**: Rina Touin_

_**8/25 (Tuesday)**  
Women's Division Surfing Championships - Kaigara Boulevard Sector 7 Beach  
+ Shortboard Competition (9:00)_

_**Contestant(s)**: Coco Pacifica, Caren Lake  
+ Longboard Competition (14:00 – 16:00)_

_**Contestant(s): **Noel Lake_

_**8/26 (Wednesday)  
**Men's Division Surfing Championships - Kaigara Boulevard Sector 7 Beach_

_+ Shortboard Competition (9:00)_

_**Contestant(s)**: Kaito Doumoto, Gaito Doumoto, Masahiro Hamasaki  
+ Longboard Competition (14:00)_

_**Contestant(s): **Nagisa Shiroi, Daichi Tendo, Kengo Omoshiro_

_**8/27 (Thursday)**  
Regional Surf Scenes Surf Band Contest - Nijibe Central Beach Auditorium  
Surf Rock Instrumentals Segment (19:30 – 22:30)_

_**Surf Band: **OC-5_

_Rihito Amagi (bass)_

_Taro Mitsuki (lead guitar)  
Lucia Nanami (rhythm guitar)  
Rina Touin (keyboard)  
Hiroki Nanami (drums)_

_**8/28 (Friday)**  
Regional Surf Scenes Surf Band Contest - Nijibe Central Beach Auditorium  
Pop & Vocals Segment (19:30 – 22:30)_

_**Surf Band: **Oceanic Crib Five (OC-5)_

_Rihito Amagi (bass/lead vocals)_

_Taro Mitsuki (lead guitar/vocals)  
Lucia Nanami (rhythm guitar/lead vocals)  
Rina Touin (keyboard/vocals)  
Hiroki "Hippo" Nanami (drums/vocals)_

_**8/29 (Saturday)  
**Regional Surf Scenes Surf Band Contest - Nijibe Central Beach Auditorium  
Tandem Surfers' Performance (8:00 – 9:30)  
**Surf Band: **Oceanic Crib Five (OC-5)_

_Rihito Amagi (bass/lead vocals)_

_Taro Mitsuki (lead guitar/vocals)  
Lucia Nanami (rhythm guitar/lead vocals)  
Rina Touin (keyboard/vocals)  
Hiroki "Hippo" Nanami (drums/vocals)  
_

_Regional Surf Scenes Tandem Surfing Championships (13:00) - Kaigara Boulevard Sector 7 Beach  
**Tandem Surfer Teams: **(referred by tandem surfboard christened name)  
**Coral Star** (Sara Iria and Gaito Doumoto)  
**Aqua Mariner** (Hanon Houshou and Nagisa Shiroi)  
**Surfer Moon** (Lucia Nanami and Kaito Doumoto)_

"I think all the names are here, Gaito." Sara confirmed the list with a thumb up. "You even got the names spelled correctly too!"

"Good. We're done with that part. All we gotta do now is rest, take a deep breath, relax. But you know, I think we all have put as much effort as we can to condition ourselves for the tournament. No matter what place we end up in the end, I know that we did not win or lose in vain."

"Um, Gaito, I thought Kaito wanted a sweep?"

Gaito snickered as he took a sip from his can of cola in front of him. "Oh we're still aiming for a sweep, but you gotta realize that this is a team sport. Kaito doesn't have to win first place in whatever event he participates, as long as one of us do end up in first place. That will guarantee a total sweep of the tournament. And here's the thing..."

"There's more, Gaito?"

"Yeah. I printed it out on the email. It said that whichever surf scenes team wins in this particular regional surf scenes tournament will be eligible to enter at the upcoming international surf scenes tournament, which will be held in Hawaii---"

Sara shrieked in surprise and stood up excitedly. "Hawaii? Are you serious, Gaito? Oh I always wanted to go there! It's like... one of my personal lifetime goals!"

"Yup. But it's held every two years and they just had it last year, so that means the next one will be held next year during winter."

"Well... we do need as much training as we can to get ready for that really huge event, that's for sure."

Gaito collected the papers from Sara and nodded in agreement. "Don't fret, my love. I'll make sure the dudes and the dudettes and myself would study hard and get the highest grades possible in school so the headmaster would let us enter the tournament without any worry about schooling. I promise you!"

Sara smiled and leaned to him, giving him a quick kiss. "We are a team, Gaito. That means you'll have to let me help you with your studies when you struggle--- though I don't think you won't have much of a problem. You and Kaito are one of the honor students in your school after all."

"Heh... I don't mind help at all..." The two were about to kiss again when they were interrupted by a server of Pearl Waters. "Oh!"

"Sorry to interrupt your special moment, you lovebirds!" A familiar female voice spoke. "Your dishes are here."

Gaito turned his head and smiled right when he saw Nicola serving their dishes. "Cole Seahart--- please do join us for awhile. You look really exhausted."

"Part of being the manager of a very busy restaurant now, you know." Nicola chuckled and took an empty seat on their table. "Well, how's the entry going? Everything ready?"

"Yeah!" Sara softly chuckled. "Wow... I would never have thought that you would ever come back to the surfing world again. What I mean to say is... I feel very honored to get to know you, Nicola--- or do I get to call you Cole too?"

Nicola chuckled and shook her head. "I'm fine with either one, as long as you don't call me something bad."

"So, any word from Maki about our tandem boards?" Gaito asked curiously. "The other tandem surfers have been bugging me about them."

"T-Mac still is a skilled shaper," Nicola said. "He was a lousy dude when it comes to relationships, but I'm completely over him. We're pretty much in friendly terms now. But anyway, Maki just arrived a few minutes ago with the tandem surfboards. He and some of the workers already brought them down the basement."

"They're here!" Sara exclaimed happily. "Wow--- that was fast!"

"He's got his shaper crew with him to do the job. All they need are the diagram schematics and they'll begin to shape the boards. And as everyone requested--- and I'm glad you guys did--- two types of tandem boards: one long and one gun."

"Thanks for everything, Nicola. The entire Rainbowside have been waiting for your return to the beach, you know. Regardless of what may have happened on that fateful day seven years ago, the entire tribe--- and the town for the matter--- still could not forget the most positive moment that happened on that day..."

"My historical _Dainami-Oni _ride...?" Nicola asked curiously with a nervous smile on her face. "I disregarded it because the loss of loved ones are a lot more important to consider than that crazy wild ride that I had."

"We're still a little scared that the _Dainami-Oni _may strike again once tournament starts." Gaito answered in a more serious tone. "And that's when we all thought that the only one who can help us survive that crazy wild surf is you, Cole. We want to know how you tamed that wild surf that day."

Nicola nodded, understanding what Gaito was asking of her. "The Tandem Surfing contest isn't until this Saturday, so we got a whole week to train. I don't know how exactly I'm going to show you how I rode that sucker surf, but I can show you some maneuvers and techniques that I used. I hope you all don't mind being trained on land though."

"I just want to be prepared for that once we take on the ocean on Saturday, Nicola," Sara answered with a slight nervous tone on her voice.

"I think all of you would be fine, Sara," Nicola answered with a smile on her face. "All you girls need to do is have faith and trust on your partner when you're out there. Just relax and listen to your partner carefully and do what he says. With full trust and communication, there is no way you will get wiped out no matter how huge the waves may be." She turned to Gaito and provided her own advice. "As the surfer of the pair, _Kainehe_, please don't be stubborn."

Gaito's eyes opened wide in shock when Nicola called him by his old surf nick. "Uh... right. I mean, I agree. I have to be a responsible surfer when I'm out there with Sara. It's not going to be Sara who will be maneuvering the board, it'll be me."

"My father would not listen to me when I told him that it was best to ride huge waves with a specialized tandem gun... I felt so bad because I didn't feel like I did enough to convince them to use a tandem gun or even stopping them from getting in to the water. If it weren't for my lazy efforts, both my parents--- and your parents too, Gaito--- would still be alive today." Nicola sighed deeply and lowered her head.

Gaito patted Nicola on the shoulder and answered. "You know, Cole... My parents have an automatic instinct of helping anyone who were in trouble. It's all in the Surfing Etiquette Bills if you remember. My parents were protégées of your parents in tandem surfing and they feel that they owe so much to them. Unfortunately, no one can tame the _Dainami-Oni_ with tandem surfers and both your parents and my parents lost the battle. Kaito and I don't blame you for the tragedy. In fact... I think it's because of their death that we found ourselves getting closer to you... to Lucia... and Hippo too."

Nicola nodded with a smile and turned her head and found Kaito at the table, relaxing himself, along with Michal next to him and the other surfer boys at the same table, watching OC-5 performing their tracks as always. "Lucia is very fond of Kaito... what's your opinion, being his twin and all...?"

"My opinion? I have none. Although I can say that Kaito is very fond of Lucia too. I wish nothing else but to see my brother happy, especially when he makes Lucia happy, you know?"

Sara nodded in agreement. "I feel the same. Those two look so cute together! I think this past month and a half I seriously do think that they're both in love with each other."

"I'm just a little weary..." Nicola murmured. "I'm still a little concerned about Kaito and his behavior with girls. I'm overhearing so many things that kids have been babbling about him these past years around here and every time they mention him and his... involvements... with this girl and that girl... I begin to think about Lucia and what type of boy she may end up falling in love with. She's not as strong as I am when it comes to things like this and I don't want anyone taking advantage of her because of it."

Gaito sipped from his soda again and faced Nicola directly. "If you're worried about Kaito doing something really bad to Lucia, I wouldn't worry at all. I know you may not believe me because I'm his twin, but he's not as bad as you think. Sure, he's a little rough on the edges and not exactly the most romantic guy you'll ever meet, but once he meets someone he likes, I can guarantee that person will be having a long-lasting friendship with him. I can't say the same about love, since he hasn't actually been with a girl he's truly in love with. But after getting to know Lucia a little, I think she's a good person at heart. Only a heartless jerk would toy around with someone with a good heart as Lucia, and if that was Kaito, I wouldn't forgive him for it."

"Uh, okay, not to interrupt or anything," Sara began her own statement at the conversation, "but Kaito, regardless of his... uh... _weekly girlfriend _experiences... if you ask me, I think he's a lousy boyfriend!"

"Sara, more of like--- his _weekly girlfriends _are lousy girlfriends!"

Sara crossed her arms and glared at her boyfriend. "Gaito, you are so biased, you know that? Just because we're talking about your _other half_ here, doesn't mean he's as virtuous as you are or some of the very few guys left in this town. Take Taro Mitsuki and Rihito Amagi, for one thing---"

"Sara, that _one-week girlfriend _game he was doing in the past has got nothing to do with me. I will admit that I do agree that he's a lousy boyfriend, but at the same time, his _weekly girlfriends _were as lousy as he was. And because of that, Kaito hasn't exactly been in a relationship that would make him feel complete. Hell, any human can't be with the same person for the longest time. Some people are just lucky, but most people have had several relationships here and there. As they say, _hands-on experience_ after all."

"Gaito, please..." Sara crossed her arms and shook her head. "I worry about Lucia, okay? I mean first of all, that idiot twin of yours has no serious clue that he is dating the younger sister of Nijibe's _Gorgeous Gidget_ Cole Seahart here. Second of all, Lucia is a very nice, open, and simply, naturally a goodhearted person who just can't help herself but to be kind to every single person no matter how good or bad that person may be. Like Cole's concern here, I worry about her too. I swear, if Kaito does end up toying around with Lucia's heart all this time, he's got another thing coming!"

"Hey! Hey!" Gaito hushed his girlfriend, gently rubbing her hand with his fingers just to keep her calm. "Seriously, if you want Kaito to actually change in to the type of guy any girl would want to have as a boyfriend _by character_, not by his looks or his reputation in the surfing world, then there's only one thing that can be done. Sure, he's my twin brother, but _by character_, he and I are different, especially when it comes to girls. I know I've had some girls staring at me all around town and in school, but most of them often mistake me for him. I'm not complaining." He then turned to Nicola and asked one small question. "Cole--- do you trust Lucia?"

Nicola blinked her eyes with a puzzled look. "Of course I trust Lucia. How can I not trust my own sister? I trust her completely with all my heart! Why?"

"Then, you trust her judgment of choosing Kaito as the one she wishes to be with?"

"Well, I..." Nicola found herself trailing, finding for the right answer. "Well, that is... how can I say this... it's just that... it's hard for me to trust Lucia when it comes to boys because she's never actually gone out on a date with a boy before... nor that she's ever invited any boys anywhere within the Pearl Waters building with the exception of the restaurant and the juice bar... and the only time she ever mentioned boys was Kaito's name in her conversations with her friends." She sighed, lowering her head at the same time. "I just don't want Lucia ending up having her heart torn apart by a popular surfer boy just like the way Maki's younger brother did the same with me seven years ago..."

"So, you don't actually trust Lucia with all your heart then," Gaito began his rebuttal. "Just on the sidenote, my twin and Hi-Mack's brother aren't the same person. T-Mack was older than you, but Kaito is about the same age as Lucia. T-Mack should've known better not to screw around a younger girl's heart like that, especially if that girl happens to be a prominent name in the surfing world. What can I say? From what I remember, your name was way more popular than T-Mack's name in the surfing world. Maybe he decided to mess with you due to jealousy."

"Jealousy?" Nicola asked curiously. "We're not even competing against each other! Why the hell would he be jealous of me?"

"Well, that's up to you to find out. Talk to Maki. As far as Lucia goes, if you seriously have faith in her with all your heart, then you'd let her make her own decisions, even if it's something you're not exactly going to be approved of. As far as Kaito goes, I have one thing to say."

"Oh? What's that, Gaito?"

"If you seriously trust Lucia with all your heart, then let Lucia take command of her destiny. In other words, let Lucia lead Kaito to the right path."

"Lead Kaito to the... right path?"

"Yup, that's what I said. It's the only way for a dude like Kaito to take a girl like Lucia seriously, especially when it comes to falling in love. It'll take some time, sure, but because Lucia is a girl completely different from most of the girls he ended up dating in the past, he's definitely going to learn a lot from her. And by gut instinct, the more he follows her and the more he listens to her, it's guaranteed he'll fall in love with her."

Sara suddenly tapped Gaito on the shoulder to provide her own words with a teasing tone. "If you're such a virtuous boyfriend, Gaito, then why didn't you teach your brother to the right path to true love, hm?"

"The hell?" Gaito raised an eyebrow of suspicion to his rather mature girlfriend. "I ain't the one who has girl problems, you know. Whatever the hell he gets involved with when it comes to chicks and ends up suffering for it, it ain't my problem."

"Heh... some brother you are." Sara stuck her tongue, nudging Gaito on the side.

Right on stage, the final instrumental performance by the OC-5 concluded, with many of the dancers and swingers halting their movements on the floor to join the applause. Rihito took the microphone and spoke: "Well, surfer dudes, surfer dudettes, beach bunnies, grommets, hodads, and enthusiasts, that's all we got for tonight as it's already eleven-thirty---"

"Awwww..." The audience moaned sadly, simply because the OC-5 show was over and it was time for Pearl Waters to close for the night.

"--- But hey, don't forget the big day tomorrow--- it's the Nijibe Summer Festival! You know that's a huge important event for all of us here and you can't miss this major day! Also, just to let you know, it's also Tournament Preview Day where anyone interested may want to come over at Nijibe Central Beach for a special press conference with all the tournament committee members, sponsors, celebrities, and of course, our competitors from the surfers to the singers to the swingers, so if you all want to see who's who in the tournament, come stop by the Central Beach tomorrow. We'll be there too, so if you happen to be there, make sure you cheer as loud as you can and show us your support for the Rainbowside, right?"

"RIGHT!" The audience responded along with more cheers and applause.

"And you all gotta give all you got to help us bring victory to all of us and for the entire Nijibe because don't forget--- especially you kids out there--- tournament week is also our last week of summer, meaning next week is back-to-school week! We all hope you all have done your summer homework so you won't miss this entire week of sun and surf at supercharged competition level, alright? And if you haven't finished all your summer homework, then start cramming tomorrow morning so you won't miss the Nijibe Summer Festival, alright?"

The kids present who went to schools outside Nijibe or outside the Nijibe school system sighed sadly, knowing that Rihito was definitely referring to them. Rihito continued on with his announcement and a final song to send everyone home for the night. "Well then, to conclude this really hectic night of excitement, swinging, and romancing, the peeps of OC-5 and I would like to dedicate this one little song--- to all your surfer dudes and dudettes and all you beach bums and bunnies out there. You've got this one final week of summer break and it's off to school and work for all of you, and so, take advantage of this final week of summer and make it count as part of the story of your lives. Again, dudes and dudettes, just listen."

The audience applauded as the guitarists placed their guitars down while Rina and Hippo left their spots to join the rest of the band at the front stage. Rihito positioned the microphone in front of them. After a soft countdown from Rihito, the entire band began to sing a cappella style:

_On the beach you'll find them there  
In the sun and salty air_

_The girls on the beach are all within reach_

_If you know what to do_

Right then, couples left and right and far behind came to the front of the stage with their chosen partners and began to slow dance. Gaito and Sara took advantage, while Nagisa gently dragged Hanon at the center. There were others, such as Daichi taking Coco by the hand and Kengo also taking Caren by the hand. Somewhere nearby, Michal attempted to drag Kaito out to the dance floor, but the competition-minded surfer boy refused and remained at his usual spot on the table.

"Kaito--- come on! Everyone's at the dance floor! You don't want to be the lamest member of the tribe by not dancing with a cute girl at the center now, don't you?" Michal pouted with her arms around his, dragging him out from his seat.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I don't dance?" Kaito continued to keep himself at his own seat, trying to release himself from the demanding rich girl.

"Not even a very simple slow dance like that? Give it up, Kaito Doumoto, you're out of excuses!"

"Michal, do I have to repeat myself again? I don't dance--- IN PUBLIC!"

Michal suddenly cuddled herself against him with a slight snicker on her face. "Not in public, huh? Maybe we can go to a more private place and dance?"

"Michal, even if some hot and sexy chick strips herself in front of me so I can dance with her in public or in private I still won't dance!"

"Mou--- you're so mean, Kaito!" After several attempts, Kaito became the victor. Luckily for the two, Masahiro, Noel, and Seira joined the table so Kaito and Michal would not feel alone.

"Mind if we join you two?" Noel chuckled and invited themselves to the table. Kaito offered the empty seats to them as the three hurriedly sat down.

"So, Kaito," Masahiro began the conversation. "What's your excuse for _not _dancing on the floor this moment?"

"Dude, should I repeat the third time or whatever time that I don't dance, especially in public?" Kaito responded quickly before Michal may start persuading him again.

"Hey, I feel you, dude," Masahiro answered with a smirk on his face. "Your beloved _betty _is sharing her voice to the entire floor with the rest of the band, hm?"

Kaito glared at his fellow surfer and retorted: "Man, you don't know how to shut up, do you, Hamasaki?"

"Dude, stop playing all cool like that--- it's so damn obvious ya got it _real bad _for the girl guitarist on stage!"

Kaito returned the smirk on his face, continuously glaring at Masahiro. "Dude, say one more word and I'm gonna kick your ass and rub that smirk off your face!"

"Dude, you're all talk and no walk. Are you sure you wanna take me on, Mr. Gasser?"

Just as the two were about to get ugly, Noel interrupted the two. "Hey, hey, this ain't the time for smack-talk, you pricks! Jeez, you two sound like a bunch of brawn-brained morons!"

"Fine!" Kaito decided to change the subject. "So what's your excuse for _not _dancing on the floor, Masahiro?"

"Me?" Masahiro answered and also had the slight similar reaction. "I'm too tired to dance, man!"

"You're tired to even _slow dance_, Masahiro?" Noel asked curiously while Seira giggled at the situation.

"That's what I was asking Kaito, Noel!" Michal answered right away and turned back to Kaito. "Why are you being so cruel tonight, Kaito?"

"'Cause I don't dance, alright?" Kaito sighed and turned his attention back to Masahiro. "Dude, don't even try the same trick on me, man. You didn't do nuthin' the entire night here but to sit around, eat, and talk smack at the other surfers. I know how it feels to miss your cutie pie next to you, especially that she's so busy with her talent portion of the beauty contest... or maybe you have plans tonight, hm? Don't worry--- if you do, I'll make sure the dudes and I abandon the shack and camp out at the beach so you can have the whole house to yourself and her... right?"

Masahiro raised an eyebrow of suspicion at Kaito with his arms crossed. "Are you trying to hint something? What kind of a dude do you think I am, man? I got personal morals when it comes to love!"

"Personal morals... heh... yeah right..." Kaito snickered while Masahiro continued to glare at him. The group fell silent as they continue to listen to OC-5's a cappella.

_How we love to lie around_

_Girls with tans of golden brown_

_The girls on the beach_

_Are all within reach_

_And one waits there for you_

_Girls on the beach..._

Rihito took the lead vocals for a few lines:

_The sun in her hair_

_The warmth of the air_

_On a summer day_

Once again, the rest of the band conclude the song:

_As the sun dips out of sight_

_Couples on the beach at night_

_The girls on the beach_

_Are all within reach_

_And with the boys tonight_

_Girls on the beach..._

After the song ended, the band thanked everyone who stayed this late for the entire show and greeted a good night. Rihito even reminded that there was a full moon tonight, which was a perfect night for romancing by the shore (or whatever activity may happen on a full moon). Right when the entire Pearl Waters population cleared the restaurant, the staff began to tear down and clean up the entire place again. Knowing that Pearl Waters will be closed the entire day due to the Summer Festival, they knew they needed to clean up tonight so no one would have to do anything Pearl Waters-related tomorrow.

Nicola was at the second floor balcony, gazing at the mesmerizing night sky, with stars twinkling as bright as ever and the full moon dominated the natural light. The tides of the beach were as slow and steady as everyone hoped, but at the same time she expected that the ocean will be as wild as it ever had been. Was she worried about what may happen at that tournament? She admitted that she was still worried about history repeating by itself but at this point, it was important for her to stay positive as she can.

"Beautiful night, isn't it?" A familiar voice spoke from behind as Nicola turned her head to see Maki and her Aunt Taki standing there.

"Hey, you two. What a night, huh?" Nicola softly chuckled, referring to the OC-5 Friday night show that just occurred.

"Yup. What a night indeed," Maki answered with a nod. "Man, that full moon is really mesmerizing tonight, and if you look across the beach area, there's people there."

Nicola found Hippo's telescope and looked through the eyepiece to witness the population at Sector 7 Beach to see what Maki meant. "Hey... you're right. I've never seen Sector 7 Beach like this before. Usually no one would hang out at the beach at night here, but I guess the full moon is pulling everyone out from their homes."

"They're not just people, Nicola--- they're couples." Taki noted one more point to her niece. Nicola gazed through the telescope again and found a few couples hiding behind the rocks, underneath the rocks, and even between two longboards and a beach blanket on top, minding their own intimate businesses. The scene immediately shook her from the inside and right then she remembered a particular moment in the past.

"Maki!" Nicola exclaimed with her eyes opened wide. "I'm familiar with that scene! Isn't that the time where you Rainbowside couples clique would hide yourselves between two longboards and a long beach blanket to form some kind of a low tent so you and your lover would--- ahem!"

Taki gasped in shock and quickly covered her mouth while Maki's eyes opened wide in surprise as well. "Wh--- where'd you get that idea, Cole? I got morals! So what if I hung out with the rest of the couples because of Saori, that doesn't mean we actually did crazy stuff like that!"

"Dude, do I look like a moron to you? I see my parents do that all the time with the rest of y'all _surf cuties_ clique or whatever the hell you call yourselves back then! Oh jeez, I can't believe that stupid two surfboards and a beach blanket tent thing is still a trend today! Do you have an idea what this means?" Nicola bursted her worries out towards Maki as her aunt attempted to calm her down by placing her hands on her shoulders. "What the heck was that called? The _bonfire dance_?"

"Have you been watching those cheesy old '60s _beach movies _or something, Cole? I don't know how the hell you let your imagination run wild---"

"I am _not _imagining things, Hi-Mack! Don't forget that I was _the _gidget of the Rainbowside, dude! This gidgetknows _everything _inside and out of the Rainbowside, man! You can't fool me!"

"Ahem!" Taki cleared her throat to get the attention of the two squabbling adults. "Shall we head downstairs at the dining area and check on the staff to be sure they're finished with the cleanup?"

"Uh, right. Sorry, Auntie!" Nicola cleared her throat and walked passed Maki, who still had a suspicion that Maki did get himself and his former girlfriend Saori involved in rather strange trends such as what she witnessed out at the beach.

Moments later, the staff were almost finished with cleaning up the dining area when Nicola arrived on the scene to check up on things. She smiled in content with the effort and gave a nod. "Alright, dudes and betties. You're off for the night!"

"Eh?" The staff gave perplexed expressions when their manager gave them permission to go home when the dining area was not quite clean yet.

"There's a full moon out tonight, you know," Nicola reminded her staff with a wink of her eye. "This is going to be the last summer full moon you'll be having. The next full moon is during school days now."

Hanon shrieked happily and threw her arms around Nicola. "Really, Nicola? You are so cool! Thank you so much!"

"Uh.... you're welcome, Hanon..." Nicola gave a soft chuckle as Hanon released her.

"Oh thank you so much! See, Nagisa wanted to show me something at the beach tonight and I'm really curious to know what that is---" Just as Hanon was about to finish her statement she noticed the entire staff staring at her. "... What?"

"Well, what do you know," Rina answered with a smirk on her face. "And so the mystery has been unraveled."

"What are you talking about, Rina?"

Lucia giggled and embraced Hanon tightly to her. "Congratulations, Hanon! So you and Nagisa are going out already?"

"What are you talking about, Lucia? I didn't say anything about that---- come on, let go of me, Lucia!"

"Oh really?" From behind the juice bar counter, Coco responded with a smirk on her face. "You and Nagisa are developing such strong chemistry as of late! I've seen all your tandem surfing practice these past weeks and I gotta say--- as the _kookiest _of the tribe, your tender connection with each other is seriously going to bring you to victory in tandem surfing this week!"

Hanon quickly released herself from Lucia and crossed her arms. "There is _nothing _going on between me and Nagisa, okay?"

"Riiight..." The girls answered with smiles and snickers on their faces. Right when they burst in to laughter, they heard a door knock on the entrance.

"Oh! It's Nagisa and Masahiro!" Lucia exclaimed when she saw the two boys knocking on the glass door outside. She ran to the door and opened it for them. "Hey, you two! We're done! Come on in!"

The two boys came inside, with the rest of the Rainbowside surfer boys waiting outside. Masahiro and Nagisa approached Rina and Hanon as they were fixing up their cleaning tools. Afterwards, Kengo, Daichi, and Gaito also arrived inside to meet up with the rest of the girls. Lucia, on the other hand, finished her portion of the dining area until the entire area was swept clean.

"Welp, guess we're all done here." Lucia said as she handed the broom and the dustpan to Nicola. "I think everyone deserves a night break at the beach tonight. I mean the boys were waiting for their girls, you know? I think our last song got to the guys tonight!"

Nicola took the broom and dustpan from Lucia. "I bet. Alright little sis, the night is yours!"

"Thanks!" Lucia climbed up the stage to help the three male band members place their instruments back in to the cases. Nicola, Maki, and Taki finished the rest of the cleanup.

"Lucia, Kaito's waiting outside... somewhere..." Taro reminded her that she did not have to be there and proceed outside.

"Somewhere?" Lucia chuckled softly. "I think he'll understand why I'm a little late tonight."

"Kaito's actually out at the beach with Michal." Rihito joined in the conversation.

"Eh?" Lucia gasped in surprise while Hippo raised an eyebrow of suspicion.

"Why's he with Michal?" Hippo asked curiously, rubbing his chin at the same time. "No offense, Rihito, but your sister seriously needs to see a shrink. No matter how much she whines at him for his attention he'll never look at her the way she wants him to look at her."

"Maybe you're right, Hippo." Rihito sighed deeply and lowered his head. "She was a lot more approachable when we're out of town and at our own designated schools at the South, but whenever she sees Kaito she's like a whole completely different person. She acts the same with our parents when we're at home with them. I've tried..."

Lucia sighed deeply and lowered her head. "I guess Michal doesn't know what it means to be in love. It's very hard for me to see her as a bad person, but... to be demanding at Kaito and get him to fall in love with her... it's just wrong... and every time I see her with him... it just... makes me nervous..."

Rihito sat next to Lucia at the edge of the stage. "You trust Kaito, right?"

"With all my heart, Rihito."

"Then there's nothing for you to worry about."

Lucia gazed right at Rihito with curious eyes. "How do you know that? I mean... we're talking about your sister here."

"Kaito has the right to be in love with whoever he wants to be in love with. Watching him growing up these past seven years at the Rainbowside, the more he gets better at surfing, the more he gets a lot more mature as a person. I don't know how to describe it, but... it's something to do with Kaito's personal connection with surfing that shapes him to the type of person he wants to be... or who he ends up being. It's kind of like you and singing, Lucia. Being with the good ol' Friday night band I've watched you grow too."

"I don't know, Rihito... I... I don't mean to be conceited but... I was really hoping that tomorrow night would be... well... Okay, I'll just come out and say it, you guys! I'm going to tell Kaito about everything..."

"Everything?" Hippo asked curiously.

"I'm going to tell him how I feel about him tomorrow night!"

The three boys on stage gazed at each other with surprise. "Guess it's that time..." Taro said with arms shrugged.

"Yup." Rihito nodded in agreement. "It's been almost two months after all. I think it's time."

Hippo shrugged his arms at the same way and gave a one-word response. "Whatever."

Lucia shrieked happily like an innocent girl in love. "Then that's what I'm going to do on our date tomorrow night!"

"Heh, you can even tell him tonight and get it over with." Taro made a slight suggestion with a wink on his eye.

"Dude, Taro, don't encourage her!" Hippo voiced his worry immediately. "Not in front of Michal if they're out there hanging out at the beach together. Kinda awkward if you ask me."

"Yeah, Taro," Rihito nodded in agreement with a soft chuckle. "You forget Michal is my sister and knowing Lucia, if she is going to confess to him, she'll do it when they're both alone."

Lucia nodded in agreement. "Not tonight. I don't want to be in the way of Michal's chances with Kaito... that is... I think any girl has the right to confess to the one they love the most. But in the end, it would be the boy who gets to decide."

"You're one strong, brave girl, Sis," Hippo provided his praise for his older sister. "I don't know how you do it, but you seem to be really calm about all this. I wish I was that strong."

"Well, Lucia, you better get out there to the beach," Taro reminded her. "The full moon's out--- take advantage of it. Better get there fast or Michal's gonna end up stealing your dude from you!"

"Taro!" Lucia shrieked in shock while Hippo chuckled. "Right! I'm heading out!"

Just as the teenage girl was about to exit the restaurant, Rihito ran behind her and caught up. "Wait, before you head out."

"What's up, Rihito?"

Rihito carried a guitar-shaped backpack case and handed it to her. "Here. Don't forget this."

Lucia immediately recognized the item. "But... this is your acoustic guitar?"

"It's yours," Rihito said with a smile on his face. "Call it a present for being the most awesome girl of the band, Lucia."

"Are you sure?"

"Better give it to you than pawning it. Besides, Michal's got no interest in the guitar anyway. It's a classic Yamaha, so it's domestic-made this time."

"Thanks, Rihito. You're like the big brother I never had!" Lucia chuckled.

"Uh... what do you call me then, Lucia?" Taro snickered in a joking manner.

"You know I'd never forget you, Taro!"

"Jeez, just go already!"

Lucia waved at the three band members on stage and made her way to the door. Right when she reached the door, Hanon, Nagisa, and Seira went inside and called out for the younger Nanami. "Hippo! Come on!" Seira called out.

Hippo lifted his head and turned to the crowd. "Huh?"

"Dude, you ain't gonna lock yourself up in your room at this awesome night, man!" Nagisa expressed his cheerful response while Hanon hooked her arm around his.

"Besides, this is probably going to be the only full moon summer night you'll ever spend, Hippo," Hanon said, sticking her tongue at the same time. "And it's the perfect night for ocean photography too!"

Hippo raised an eyebrow of suspicion. "Man... do I have to?"

Seira quickly ran to Hippo and hooked her arm around him. "Come on, Hippo--- hang out with us! I don't want to be by myself out there!"

"Fine... fine..."

The group exited Pearl Waters and made their own ways to the beach.

Meanwhile somewhere at the beach, while majority of the couples were doing their own thing, Kaito and Michal were sitting together not too close to the ocean, just overlooking the waves. Though the scene looked like it was going to be an innocent, young love scene, that was not exactly the case for the two. Michal found herself a lot more heartbroken than she was before, knowing that no matter how much she tried to get Kaito's attention that she would definitely never going to win his heart.

"I appreciate you being honest with your feelings, Michal," Kaito answered in a more mild and friendly manner. "But I want to be honest with you too. It's just not in my nature that I have to lie with serious issues like this. I'm sorry, but... I can't return those feelings."

Michal bit her bottom lip, preventing herself from crying. "Kaito... don't you understand how perfect you are? Well, that is--- you're always perfect for me. You're almost good at everything and you have everything that everyone dreams of having! I know what you have gone through all these years with all those crazy fan girls and that popular girl clique in your school--- Rainbow Pop Girls or something?--- and even those ex-girlfriends you dated for a week. I feel the same pain too. I feel so much connected to you all these years..."

Kaito shook his head and turned away. "Michal, I'm glad to have met you, honestly. I really think you're sweet, smart, and beautiful, but you don't know me."

"What do you mean? We've known each other for so long! How could you say that I don't know you?"

"That's the thing... You never really gave me a chance to be myself. You always demanded attention and I know I've given you plenty, but you never really gave me a chance to get to know who I really am. You don't like it when I talk about surfing, you don't like it when I talk about my school days, you don't like talking about my friends--- hell, you get irritated when I talk about your brother! And on top of that, you get irritated too when I even surf out there regardless of how small or how big the surf was! Michal, I know you and I are both in the same class--- you know, the prominent families of Nijibe and all that--- but you can't see me as the type of guy you want me to be. You don't like a lot of things that I like!"

"I won't have it, Kaito!" Michal shrieked with a more demanding tone, now completely losing control of her tears. "Don't you know how much I love you, Kaito? I'll do anything--- anything! I'll give you everything you want..."

Kaito felt a slight jolt within him, knowing something unexpected may happen between the two of them and knew he could not let his guard down. "I love you too, Michal, but not like that. I've already reserved my heart to someone else... seven years ago."

Michal's eyes opened wide in shock. "Wh--- what? Seven years ago? Well... where is she then? I'm always here with you, Kaito... And if that's the truth then why were you dating those girls in the past? You even dated one of Lucia's closest friends before you even started talking to Lucia! Please don't tell me you were dating those girls just so you can get over her and move on... right? Or maybe you don't remember how she looks like so you had to search every single girl to see if she was the one you gave your heart to those seven years ago? Kaito--- that girl from the past—- the one who rescued you from drowning... she seems to be a lost cause. You can't wait for her forever, Kaito... She's never coming back! I mean, you pretty much gave up that one-week girlfriend project you've been and you haven't been dating a girl for so many months now!"

"That's where you're wrong, Michal." Kaito smiled and turned to her. "I stopped searching... because she's already here."

"What...? Here?" Michal gasped as she slowly stood up, facing him continuously. "When did she come back? Why didn't you tell me--- or anyone else for that matter? How did you find her?"

Kaito stood up from his seat and then gazed his eyes towards the sea. "I found her... when I heard her sing for the first time... in seven years..."

"Kaito..." Michal stared at him curiously when a familiar ringtone played from her pocket. She reached for her cellphone and saw Rihito's name at her external screen. "Well... there's nothing much to say, Kaito. I give up."

"Hey..." Kaito patted Michal on the shoulder, still giving her that smile on his face. "We'll always be friends no matter what, Michal. And I'm pretty sure you'll find someone who would love you and appreciate you more for who you are than with dudes like me."

Michal sighed sadly, but few moments later, she nodded with a slight smile on her face. "Thanks, Kaito. Thank you for being my friend."

The two embraced like good friends should, as Michal waved goodnight to him. She ran back across the street, where Rihito was waiting for her at the entrance. Once she met her older brother, she threw her arms around him and began to weep as she explained the situation.

"So... I see that Kaito responded to your confession." Rihito confirmed Michal's troubles at this moment. Michal nodded as she wiped off her tears. The older Amagi handed her his handkerchief to wipe her tears off. "Well, people are different. You can't force them to change their true feelings just so the other can be happy. Relationships don't last long that way."

Michal slowly released herself from her brother and sighed deeply. "I... I guess..."

"You're still young, you know. You got plenty of chances when it comes to love, but you know, Kaito isn't the only guy in this world."

"But he is to me, Rihito! Do you understand that?"

"Michal, there's always a person better than the other. There's always going to be a better person than you, a better person than me, a better person than Kaito himself. It's just how life goes. You'll just have to accept that fact."

The young teen girl shook her head, refusing to hear what her older brother was feeding her. "I won't have it, Rihito! I don't care if there's a better person than Kaito! I've loved him for the longest time and I still love him... even if he won't return my feelings. Besides... boyfriend and girlfriend? That doesn't mean they're official..."

Rihito raised an eyebrow of suspicion. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

Michal no longer found herself weeping her sadness away, but instead showed a confident smirk on her face. "Boyfriend and girlfriend is temporary. It's not like they're engaged to marry, you know... and you did say I've got plenty of chances!"

"I didn't mean by that, Michal. You're being ridiculous with this whole situation."

"I'm going to find that girl--- the one who stole my Kaito away from me--- I'd like to meet her and get to know her and find out her strengths and weaknesses. Once that happens I'll find a way to convince Kaito that girl isn't who she really is to him and for sure he'll break up with her!"

Rihito shook his head and sighed. "You know, not only you're going to hurt that girl, but you'll be hurting Kaito more than actually helping him. He already made up his mind, Michal. Just let it go. Sure you're seeing this mystery girl as your enemy, but you're also seeing Kaito as your enemy too. He is your target, right?"

"I'm your sister, Rihito! Blood should always be thicker than everything else!"

"Michal, we as Amagis were not raised to be greedy, demanding, and conniving. Fine, go ahead with your little schemes, but don't get me involved in them. You're my sister, but Kaito is also my friend. I still care for you, Michal, but obviously you're not listening to me. What's the point of caring if you can't care in return?" Rihito crossed his arms and turned his head away from her, feeling some shame.

Michal fell silent, glaring at her older brother, clutching a fist on her right hand, obviously not very satisfied with her brother's reaction.

At that time, Lucia found that same particular rock that she and Kaito would always hang out whenever they hang out at the beach. She felt somewhat awkward seeing so many longboards and beach blankets being built

all along the beach with rather awkward moaning sounds on the air. Nevertheless, she found their official rock spot, where she brought her beach blanket this time and placed her guitar backpack on the side so she can find her comfortable spot while facing the full moon up the night sky.

_Wow... this full moon looks a lot fuller than the last one! _Lucia's inner voice spoke with vigor, giving her a huge smile on her face. _I hope Kaito would come by tonight. If he doesn't make it, that's okay. Maybe his meeting with Michal must be very important..._

"_The full moon's out--- take advantage of it. Better get there fast or Michal's gonna end up stealing your dude from you!" _With a sudden distraction, Lucia recalled Taro's small warning earlier regarding Kaito and Michal alone at the beach.

She immediately closed her eyes in refusal and shook her head hurriedly. _No! No! No! No! That's not gonna happen! I never saw Kaito getting all romantic with Michal like that--- I mean if he does like her a lot he'd be spending more time with her instead of hanging out with dweeb kooks like me, right? Unless if he's shy--- but he can't be shy because he's dated so many girls a week long time ago! _Right then, she began to breathe heavily, trying to calm herself from her inner anxiety.

_Calm down, Lucia, calm down... Don't panic yet. If Kaito really considers me as a really good friend then he shouldn't be afraid of being honest with his feelings, right? But then, what if he really is shy? Or... what if he just asked me out as a plot to get Michal jealous? No, he wouldn't do that... Sure, he dated a lot back then, but he never cheated on any one of them, even if it's for one week._

She swallowed her nervousness and turned to her side where the acoustic guitar Rihito gave her sat. She opened the backpack and brought out the guitar and positioned it to the left where her right hand would strum the strings. _Now I see why Rihito wanted me to bring this guitar along with me. He knew I would panic over Kaito... or nothing at all! Okay... maybe one song... just one song. This should calm me down._

She looked around to make sure no one was staring at her. Afterwards she cleared her throat and began to play a moderately upbeat tune, whatever tune that came to her mind, along with words that came along with her mind:

_Just ask your heart who dreams about you_

_Just ask your heart who's faithful and true_

_Someone who cares and won't make you blue_

_Just ask your heart who loves only you_

_Then you will find your true love will be_

_Someone who cares for you and wants to make you happy_

_Then when your heart says he loves only you_

_And when it says he won't make you blue_

_Then ask your heart if your love is true_

_Just as his heart loves only you_

When she began to play a short instrumental afterwards along with her humming, her small performance earned the attention of the lovers and the beach bums not too far from where she was sitting that those who were in between the two longboards and beach blanket tents crawled out slowly to see where the infectious catchy song came from. Once they found the song, they all looked to the mysterious girl singer at the rock, singing and playing her guitar along with the song.

"Hey! Is that...?" From a short distance, Nagisa recognized the voice and turned to Hanon to confirm. She had her arm around his but her attention was right at the rock.

"It's Lucia!" Hanon chuckled softly. "I wonder if that's her song to Kaito..."

"There's just one problem, Hanon. Kaito's not there."

"What?" Hanon shrieked and released his arm to take a closer look. Once she found her vision, she sighed in disappointment that Lucia was alone. "Where the hell did that heartless jerk go?"

"He's with Michal, remember?" Nagisa answered, tailing her from behind.

"What? What the hell! Of all the nights he'd rather go with her than with his beloved tandem surfing partner? Why didn't you or any your dudes talk him out of that?" Hanon frowned with her arms crossed.

"Because Kaito volunteered to go with her, that's why." Another familiar voice spoke as the two tandem surfers turned to see Masahiro and Rina standing behind them.

"Oh, Masahiro! Rina!" Nagisa greeted the couple with a grin on his face. "What are you two doing here?"

"We'd ask the same with the two of you," Rina answered with a suspicious expression.

"Well, we're here to--- accompany Lucia!" Hanon made a quick yet somewhat credible excuse. "Anyway, poor Lucia... we're all out here with a boy for every girl---"

"Or a girl for every boy..." Nagisa added along.

"Uh yeah... that too... but Lucia is there by herself? I mean, she's way too cool and way too nice to be alone..." Hanon sighed with a frown on her face. "What the hell is wrong with Kaito anyway? He _voluntarily _decided to hang out with Michal at the beach at this night? What if he like--- confesses his feelings to her? What if all this time he's been using Lucia just to get close to Michal?"

"Hanon, will you calm yourself." Masahiro answered with his arms crossed. "Why is it that when it comes to Lucia's problems you always see Kaito as the culprit of all her problems? What if Lucia did some things wrong herself that caused those problems?"

"Masahiro, Lucia may be a klutz sometimes but she's no troublemaker." Rina spoke out, defending her close friend to her boyfriend. "Besides, Kaito seems to be the probable cause to Lucia's heartbreaking problems."

"Although, by the way she's singing, she doesn't look sad at all." Nagisa pointed out Lucia's smiling expression while she sang and played the guitar.

"Oh, you don't know Lucia as much as Rina and I do, Nagisa. She uses her song to hide her real emotions. I bet deep inside that enthusiastic smile is pure loneliness. A beautiful night at the beach with no Kaito... that's just so... so... sad..." Hanon almost found herself crying, clutching her chest to her hand as if she was mourning for a lost loved one.

Rina shook her head at Hanon. "I don't think I agree with you on the latter, Hanon. When she's lonely she'd... lock herself up in her room and cry herself to sleep on bed. Not even a song could cover her real feelings."

Masahiro reached for his cellphone and rang Kaito's cellphone number. After about a minute or so, hung up. "I think his cell's off..."

At this point, more and more couples found their way to Lucia's rocky spot, with many of them sitting down on the sand, romancing with their partners while listening to Lucia's attractive song:

_Then you will find your true love will be_

_Someone who cares for you and wants to make you happy_

_Then when your heart says he loves only you_

_And when it says he won't make you blue_

_Then ask your heart if your love is true_

_Just as his heart loves only you_

Right when she played the last chords of her instrumental, she ended the song and received a standing ovation and a loud applause from those who came by to listen to her. Lucia felt overwhelmed with the cheers and claps that she stood up from her spot and gave everyone a bow.

"Hey, sing some more!" Many of the couples voiced out their enthusiasm while Lucia shook her head with a nervous smile on her face.

"Oh, I just sang that so I can calm down---"

"Aw come on... some more, please?"

"Oh alright... alright then. You lovers out there, settle down... give me some time!" Lucia quickly responded, still feeling nervous, and received more cheers and applause in return. "Thanks!"

Rina turned to Masahiro with her hand on his. "Masahiro... do you mind if we stay here with everyone?"

"While listening to Lucia's songs? Sure, why not?" Masahiro answered with a smile and found their spot at the sand to sit.

Nagisa turned to Hanon and asked: "Uh... wanna do the same?"

"Same what?" Hanon asked curiously.

"Stay here for awhile and uh... accompany Lucia while she sings?"

Hanon gave a blank stare at first, but seconds later, that blank stare transformed in to a smile. "Sure, Nagisa! Right underneath the rock thing where Lucia is!"

"Awesome! Let's go!" The two tandem surfers ran to the said spot when they were startled to see Seira and Hippo already there. "Dude, what the hell?"

"Finders keepers!" Seira snickered and stuck her tongue out.

"Losers weepers!" Hippo grinned with his arms crossed.

"What the hell--- scoot over, man! This is the public beach, dude!" Nagisa forced himself right next to Hippo with Hanon taking her spot next to Nagisa.

"Hey, back off, man! I don't wanna sit next to you!" Hippo glared at Nagisa as he and Seira switched places so Hippo would sit at the edge. "Ah, much better!"

As the four settled themselves, Hanon turned to Hippo with a concerned look. "So, how's Lucia? Isn't she like... you know... sad?"

Hippo stared at the rock above them and shrugged his arms. "Why the hell would she be sad? The only time we'd know she's sad is when she locks herself in her room and cry herself to sleep on bed."

"Oh dang!" Hanon shrieked, then sighed. "Rina was right..." She then shook her head and continued to ask more question. "Then how the heck is she happy then?"

"I think it's because Lucia has complete trust in Kaito." Seira made her opinion. "When you have complete trust with someone you love the most, it's easy for you to not worry about anything about that person."

Hippo nodded in agreement. "Besides, Lucia's confident. I'm getting used to seeing Kaito hanging around with her for the past a month and a half... and Nicola's kinda getting used to him too."

"Well, anyway, I think it's just right that she should be happy." Seira continued. "I mean, the tournament is just in two days, you know? If she doesn't stay happy and positive then she'll screw up big time at the tournament, both with the surf bands contest and tandem surfing."

"Plus she's got that date with Kaito at the summer festival tomorrow too." Nagisa brought up another fact. "Kaito is still going to pursue that date with Lucia, according to Gaito. He's not backing out from Lucia anytime soon..."

Right when they were about to continue, everyone around the scene silenced once they heard Lucia hushing everyone to keep their voices down. All eyes were now at the girl with the guitar.

"Thanks for... giving me a chance to sing for you again, even if the entire OC-5 band isn't here with me..." Lucia humbly spoke as she got everyone's attention. "As you know, the first annual regional surf scenes tournament is coming up in two days, with tomorrow being the press conference with the most important people involved. I do hope that you all can come in all events because, as the host location of the first tournament of its kind, we need to seriously represent the entire tournament and show the competitors that we're the real deal in this regional surf culture, right? We want to show everyone where the real champion surfers live and thrive--- both surfer boys and surfer girls! We want to show the entire region that Nijibe is the capital of the entire Shonan Region, and if any haters and doubters who think otherwise... well... BRING IT ON!"

"YEAH!" The entire crowd suddenly felt themselves pumped up and raised their fists with full excitement.

"That's right!" Lucia somehow found herself a lot more spirited than usual, but not on her quest to win Kaito's heart, but on her quest to gain absolute victory at the tournament. "But you know--- tonight is not the night to rally together and show your spirit against the competition. We're here to enjoy this full moon night because dudes and dudettes, this is going to be the last full moon night of the summer. The next full moon, we'll all be inside our houses studying or even working. So, everyone relax--- all you girls out there, if you don't have a surfer dude with you, go grab one! Dudes, if you're a lonely surfer, grab a girl--- any girl. The rest of you... uh... do the same! Here's a song that us girls would like to dedicate to our very own surfer boys of this town--- may you'll be blessed with the speed and skill to tame the wild surf and bring us victory in the name of... um... uh..." Right at that moment, Lucia found herself lost at her words, in which she ended up giggling afterwards.

"Oh jeez..." Hippo lowered and shook his head, with his hand on his forehead. _I can't believe you got yourself lost in your own words, Lucia..._

"Well... anyway! Um... if you've got someone you love already, make sure you snuggle and cuddle while you slow dance... and for those who don't... um... just listen anyway. So this song is for all of our beloved surfer dudes out there from the girls who will back you up all the way--- especially if you're tandem surfing... heh!" Lucia sat back down on her spot and began playing her introduction chords to the song.

"See?" Nagisa cheered with a grin on his face. "Lucia isn't really sad after all, Hanon!"

"Oh yeah? Well, we'll see what type of song she sings--- if it's a sad song, then we'll know for sure what she's really feeling, Nagisa! Damn you, Kaito--- where the hell are you?"

Nagisa sighed and turned towards Hippo and Seira, in which the two just shrugged their arms. He turned back to Hanon and continued to insist. "I'm telling you, Hanon, Lucia is perfectly fine! She's just stoked with the tournament and everything that she's got no time to be sad about anything!"

"Well, without her beloved tandem surfing partner around, she's bound to mess up in the tournament, which means, she's pining for him, Nagisa! I'll even throw a bet that I'm right at this!"

"A bet? Are you serious, Hanon?"

"If I'm right about Lucia, then you have to get up to Lucia's spot and ask her to play a song and you sing in front of everyone!" Hanon stuck her tongue right at Nagisa.

"What? No way!" Nagisa exclaimed in shock. "I can't sing squat!"

Seira looked perplexed at the situation. "Why is Hanon so insistent that Lucia's lonely?"

"That has gotta be the weakest bet I've ever heard..." Hippo rolled his eyes, still feeling sarcasm within.

"Fine then!" Nagisa frowned. "And what if I'm right about Lucia then?"

"Well, if you win, then... um..." Hanon began to think, then from out of the blue, blurted out. "Well, if you're right, Nagisa, then I'll... I'll kiss you!"

Nagisa snickered, approving the second bet. "Well... if you say so, Hanon, you're on!"

Seira sighed deeply and turned to Hippo. "Why are these two making a big deal over Lucia's feelings right now?"

"Eh, I dunno... that's Hanon and Shiroi for you..." Hippo shrugged his arms. "Then again, this is getting to be a lot more interesting." Seira continued to shake her head in disapproval.

Lucia finished her introduction instrumental and began her song:

_Little surfer, little one_

_Make my heart come all undone_

_Do you love me_

_Do you, surfer boy?_

Any couple present stood up from their spots and began to slow dance with their chosen partner. Some of the Rainbowside surfers did the same. Masahiro invited Rina to dance as she gladly accepted. Daichi and Kengo got lucky this night when the twin sisters Noel and Caren dragged them to dance. Coco, on the other hand, stayed behind, simply listening to the song. Gaito and Sara just arrived on the scene and joined the rest of the group.

_I have watched you from the shore_

_Standing by the ocean's roar_

_Do you love me_

_Do you, surfer boy?_

As Lucia sang with all her heart due to seeing Kaito's image in her mind, she was completely unaware that her beloved surfer boy was close by. Due to the hype that the beachsters were bringing to her full moon night entertainment, Kaito had been on his cellphone, waiting for the other line to be picked up. To no avail, he gave up and hung up his phone. He followed Lucia's mesmerizing singing voice and led him to their usual rocky spot at the beach. He decided to stay behind and listened until she was finished.

_We could ride the surf together_

_While our love would grow_

_With all our friends, you could take me_

_Everywhere you go_

_So I say from me to you_

_I will make your dreams come true_

_Do you love me_

_Do you, surfer boy?_

After the song, Lucia received more applause from the beachsters, and once again, stood up and bowed to them. "Thank you for giving me a chance to sing one song for you guys. Now I'm poofed and ready to go home---"

"Aw, come on... more?" Once again, her audience continued to demand one more song. Though Lucia was more than happy to sing one more song, she felt her energy being drained after an intense performance with the OC-5 earlier at Pearl Waters.

"I'm out of energy and voice power, dudes... I need to take a breather--- a very long breather..." Lucia found herself somewhat sleepy when Hanon and Rina intervened.

"Yo!" Rina called out to the crowd. "You all heard hear--- the poor girl's tired! She already sang two songs--- don't wear her out!"

"Yeah, you heard her--- go back to your own business or else!" Hanon added with her fist tightened.

"Or else what?" A few of the couples answered with smirks on their face.

"Or else... uhh..." Hanon found herself at a loss of words and gave a quick glance at Rina. Then she turned to the crowd and finished her answer. "Well if you don't leave Lucia alone... uhh... Rina's gonna kick your asses!"

Rina glared at Hanon with a shocked expression. "I'm gonna--- what? What the hell, Hanon?"

"Hey!" One of the male bystanders answered. "What makes you two authority anyway? The audience demands for another awesome song!"

"Yo, why don't you bring your own boom boxes and rock yourselves out at your own little longboard tent? This ain't a concert, dudes!" Right from behind, Kaito appeared on the same spot where Lucia was standing.

"Whoa--- it's Kaito Doumoto!" The entire crowd reacted in shock and finally gave in.

"You wanna hear her sing? Wait till this Thursday at the Surf Bands Contest, alright? Now back off and go back to your _somethin' somethin' _with your board tents!" Quickly, the audience broke and made their way back to where they came from.

Lucia gave a thumbs up towards Kaito with a faint voice: "Thanks, Kaito. I needed that..."

"No problem." Kaito sat down on his spot within Lucia's beach blanket as the guitarist girl did the same. "Sorry I kept you waiting. Were you lonely?"

"Me? Lonely?" Lucia giggled softly. "How can I be lonely when everyone's here?"

Right then below them, Nagisa grinned towards Hanon and winked. "Well, what do you know... the guitar girl isn't lonely after all." Quickly he moved towards Hanon and whispered: "Pucker up, baby!"

"Eek!" Hanon shrieked and quickly backed away from Nagisa. "Are you insane? Why would I kiss you like that?"

"Because you're the one who threw that bet, Houshou." From behind, Hippo answered with a snicker on his face while Seira covered her mouth, preventing herself from laughter. "You're not just gonna back out from the _bet _now, are you? Besides, Shiroi was voted Nijibe Junior High's _7__th__ Grade Class Hottest Kisser_ after all."

Seira nodded quickly. "Oh that's right, Hippo! Nagisa was voted _7__th__ Grade's Hottest Kisser_--- I used to love his kisses when we used to date!"

"Ugh, do I need to know that, Seira?" Hippo raised an eyebrow of disgust and turned his head away. Seira reacted with a soft giggle.

"Aaah!" Hanon shouted and dropped her head low. "I forgot... I did say that..."

"Come on, Hanon... I ain't got all night!" Nagisa hurriedly called out to Hanon with one eye closed.

"H-hang on, Nagisa--- just shut up!" Hanon began to panic and once she was about to, she noticed that almost everyone she knew were watching. "What the heck--- this isn't a free peep show, dangit!"

"Aw come on, Hanon... this is true love in the making!" Rina made her statement with a grin on her face. "Hurry it up--- we ain't got all night, you know?"

"YEAH!" The others present responded, also looking directly towards them.

"DON'T LOOK! I CAN'T KISS HIM BECAUSE YOU'RE ALL LOOKING!" Hanon shouted with chagrin as Masahiro hushed everyone in the scene.

"Alright, alright... leave the two alone. Besides, we got better things to do than to make fun of people. Shall we, Rina?"

"Darn... alright." Rina chuckled and turned to Hanon. "Now, behave, you two!"

"Shut up, Rina!" Hanon frowned as everyone remaining cleared the area. Afterwards she faced Nagisa, who had been waiting and ready to receive his first kiss from her. "Okay, Nagisa... promise me you won't go around and brag at people about this... okay?"

Nagisa opened his eyes and gazed at Hanon. "Don't worry... I'm not the type of dude who'd brag around just because I got a kiss from you--- it's not like you're my first kiss in my entire life, you know---"

Hanon gasped in shock to hear his response. "Hey, wait a minute! I already lost the stupid bet and you had to say that to me? Forget it!" From out of the blue, Hanon ran off away from Nagisa, feeling rather hurt and overwhelmed at once.

"Hey! What the--- Hanon, wait up! You ain't done with me yet! Hanon!" Nagisa chased after her as they both disappeared from the scene, leaving Lucia and Kaito alone on their usual rocky spot. All this time, the two were also watching everyone below them, but instead of teasing Hanon along with everyone else, they remained silent.

The two sat back on top after witnessing what should have happened right then if it were not for the constant teasing. Lucia sighed and placed the guitar back in the open backpack case. "Sorry... I wanted to sing the song that I owed you all the way from last month, Kaito, but..."

"No, it's my fault." Kaito answered, sighing at the same time. "It was hard confronting Michal earlier... or was it the other way around... And I made you wait long... were you worried that I won't show up tonight?"

Lucia gazed at Kaito with a humble smile, shaking her head. "No. Because there's always tomorrow... and the day after... and so on and so forth... and even in school too... next week."

Kaito reached for his backpack again and took out one slick-looking dark blue aluminum water bottle with a very cold and icy beverage inside. "Here. Your voice sounds really scratchy right now. This should help ease your throat a little."

"Oh! Thank you!" Lucia accepted the blue metal water bottle. She opened the cap and began to sip. She tasted naturally sweet orange juice with a slight smooth and nutty taste blended in to the juice. From the second sip, she assumed that this was not a type of orange juice blend. I Instead, it was an orange-flavored tea blend. "Mmm! This is really good... and very refreshing!"

"I knew you'd like it." Kaito smiled along with his response. "It's sorta like a family remedy that my mom used to make Gaito and me when we were little."

"Well, I guess that's the reason why you two are so energetic whenever you hit the beach, ready to take on the wild surf that awaits for you avid surfers!"

"Heh, it's also because of that drink that Gaito and I grew up all deadly hot and sexy right now... brimming with the energy of... this and that..." With that teasing response, Kaito gave his signature wink.

"You idiot!" Lucia giggled while Kaito stuck his tongue at her. She then gazed at the drink again and asked. "So, what is this drink anyway?" She continued to drink the iced tea from the bottle.

"Mandarin Orange _Rooibos_ Iced Tea."

Lucia's eyes opened wide in surprise to hear the rather fancy-sounding name. "Wow! I've never heard of this tea before! Must be one of those rare, imported ones that only rich folks can afford..."

"Yeah... it's a rare tea. You can only get it at those imports stores since you can only get that type of tea in Africa. Best if you just order it online."

"This is really delicious... My throat feels a little better all of a sudden. It's so thirst-quenching! Thanks so much!"

"Welcome." Kaito simply gazed at Lucia enjoying the orange rooibos iced tea when the girl found his eyes right at her.

"Oh! Sorry to hog it all--- here!" She attempted to pass the water bottle back to him, but Kaito shook his head with his hand waving. "Hm?"

"No, that bottle's yours, ha ha!" Kaito chuckled. "I was hoping you'd finish it all. I actually got my own bottle of the tea too..." He reached for his backpack again and retrieved another metallic blue bottle, except the blue was darker than the one Lucia had in her hand.

"Oh! This is for me then!"

"Drink up!" Lucia giggled softly as Kaito unscrewed the cap and began to drink his bottle of tea. She turned to her bottle and began to drink some more. As she drank more, she felt her throat rejuvenating and her raspy voice beginning to heal back to a much cleaner tone. After a few moments, she finished the entire bottle.

"Ah--- that was soooo good!" Lucia sighed in bliss as she replaced the cap of the empty water bottle. "We should add this in the Pearl Waters juice and coffee bar menu... but then that _rooibos _loose leaf tea would probably be too expensive for our restaurant budget..."

"Don't, Lucia..." Kaito quickly responded. "Well... not yet anyway."

"Hm? Why not?"

"Well... this will be our Rainbowside team secret. This drink beats up Gatorade!"

"Yeah! It's natural too for all the conscious _green _people out there!"

"You guys can start selling this drink at Pearl Waters--- after we win."

"Oooh... victorious secret unrevealed--- available only at Pearl Waters..." Lucia gave a huge grin, imagining how Pearl Waters would be like with the new orange rooibos iced tea added in to their juice and coffee bar menu. After they had their moment of laughter, things became silent.

After a few moments of silence, Lucia broke the silence. "So... um... I know... you and Michal left Pearl Waters really early today and all... I'm just wondering... where you guys went... what you guys did... well, if you don't mind me asking about it..."

Kaito slowly scooted next to her and whispered: "What's wrong? Were you worried?"

"Eh?" Lucia slowly backed away from him. "I'm not worried. But I am concerned. I hope that nothing bad happened between the two of you that would cost your friendship and all... I mean, Michal is a nice girl after all..."

"You don't know Michal that way, Lucia. Yeah, she's a sweet girl... but... obsessive."

"Obsessive? What do you mean?"

Kaito lied back on the beach blanket again as if he was visiting a psychiatrist's office at the moment. "I was twelve when I first met Michal. I mean, me and Rihito had been hanging out along with the Rainbowside like all our lives, but it was that day when Michal started hanging out at the beach with us for the first time. She wasn't much of an outdoors person and she's a little... I don't know how to say this... choosy... about the people she associates with. I was a little surprised she agreed to let me be her tutor at some of the classes she was taking at her homeschooling whenever Rihito wasn't available because he had that music conservatory classes thing when he was in high school. Ever since then I'd been helping her with her math and science."

Lucia nodded with understanding. "Well, as far as I know you've got the best grades when it comes to math and science... Math has always been my worst subject."

Kaito quickly got up suddenly placed his arms around her with a rather flirtatious wink at her. "Well, why don't you let me tutor you in math... I've got... uh... several ways to... show you... especially when they're... _hands-on_..."

"Hey, let go of me!" Lucia quickly backed off, breathing heavily in nervousness while covering herself with her arms. Kaito snickered as he slowly let go. "You're such a moron!"

"Aww... you're no fun..." He laid back down on his spot again while Lucia gave a slight frown at him.

"Anyway... about Michal... so, all this time you've just been... tutoring buddies or something, right?"

Kaito returned to his serious mode again. "Yeah. I've always seen the two of us as study buddies... well, tutoring buddies. I never expected her to have crushes on me."

"Well, it's not your fault she's got a crush on you, Kaito. After all, you've got yourself a local fan club here!" Lucia chuckled softly in response.

"Now you're just making fun of me, Lucia."

"I'm sorry! Go ahead..."

"The reason why I never saw the signs because... well... uh... I don't have to tell you the reason why..."

"You were dating girls here and there, each for a week, right?" Kaito did not respond to that, but instead continued on.

"Rihito and I made an agreement that I'd do his favors in taking care of his sister when he's not around. He was really pursuing a career in classical music, composing, studying, researching, conducting... you know, that kinda thing. His parents are some of the most elite individuals in this region if not the entire country and due to their individual businesses, they weren't always at home. Michal can't always be stuck at home with the servants and everything and she needed to get outdoors as much as she can. It's always been a concern for the Amagis to have Michal be more sociable with people--- all people. She's gotten used with me, which was why she was beginning to enjoy the outdoors more, most especially the beach. But still... who would have thought she'd develop some deep feelings for me? Have I been blind all this time?"

Lucia ended up lying down on her spot without realizing it and found herself facing Kaito with just very few inches apart from each other. "You have other things in mind, Kaito... things that are a lot more important than taking care of a friend's younger sister... such as surfing, those major surf meets and championship tourneys, plus you also gotta worry about school too. You wanna keep your grades up so the school would sponsor you to go to those surf meets... and you know, you've got ambition--- something that most girls who have crushes on you still have yet to understand."

"She confessed her love for me earlier today, Lucia. I mean I've had other girls confess to me before but like those other girls, my feelings for Michal are still indifferent. I just never saw her as something more than just a friend or a tutoring buddy. But at the same time I couldn't lie to her. I had to tell her how I feel about her. I never really lied to her about anything, even when she questions about the girls I was seeing in the past and the present. I told her I was in love with someone else..."

Lucia felt a jolt within her right when she heard of the latter statement. Did this mean that Kaito still had not recognized her as his missing Leolani? _It... it can't be... Kaito... you still don't remember me? I'm right here in front of you, Kaikane... why can't you recognize me...?_ "The truth, Kaito? That's the entire truth?"

Kaito turned his head from Lucia and gazed at the flashing bright sky. "The entire truth."

"I guess Michal... didn't take it so well... did she?"

"I don't know... she had to head back out since Rihito was waiting outside at Pearl Waters... but I have this very huge gut feeling that Michal still isn't going to give up on me..."

Lucia sighed, lowering her head. _I always knew I wasn't the only one who had been trying hard to win Kaito's heart, but I feel rather uncomfortable seeing my bandmate's younger sister as a rival for his heart. Then again, Kaito told her he's in love with someone else, which is true... but what if he was talking about someone else and not me, Leolani or not? Then I'll be the one who would be running home, lock myself in my room, and cry myself to sleep..._

Kaito realized that Lucia fell silent and turned his head. "Hey... you okay, Lucia?"

"Huh?" Lucia gasped and found Kaito gazing at her with worry. "Oh... don't worry about me, Kaito. I'm just... contemplating about... stuff!"

"Such as?"

"Uh... well..." Lucia knew she had to find a good excuse to give him. She still was way too shy and nervous to admit her feelings or even reveal herself as his Leolani. "I'm thinking about the tourney..."

Kaito moved himself next to her. "The tournament? Nervous?"

"Well... um... a... a little... both the surf bands contest and... well, most especially... tandem surfing... Man, I don't know what I've gotten myself in to... I mean, I'm competing in two events--- and not just that, the surf bands contest is a three-day event, not just one. What if I lose energy for tandem surfing? I mean with the lifts and the balancing and everything. These past few days at night I've been working out like crazy, making sure that I don't get weak by the time the tandem surfing contest starts."

"Hey, don't overdo yourself, Lucia. If you're worried about conditioning, just ring me up and we'll do it together. You just need to relax and not think about the tournament right now. The big days don't start until Thursday, so we got plenty of time to practice some more during tournament week."

Lucia sighed and lowered her head. "I'm sorry I'm shaking nervously like this..."

Kaito slowly reached his hand to Lucia's bangs covering her chin. Lucia blushed immediately when she felt his fingers touching her forehead. As he continued to trail his fingers, he found a small bandage right at the left corner of her forehead. "How's your forehead?"

Lucia slowly lifted her bangs, revealing the bandage that covered a rather severe cut on her forehead. "It's healing quickly... you shouldn't worry about it..."

Kaito sighed deeply and "I can't afford to make that same mistake again when competition day arrives, Lucia. I was really shaken up when we got wiped out during our _Back Angel _lift. I lost control of the board and I dropped you... and you hit your head on one of the rails... and you were bleeding..."

"But I held on, Kaito. I held on..." Lucia did not seem bothered with what just happened that day when they wiped out of their board during their tandem surfing practice, attempting to do a very difficult lift: a lift in which the surfer holds on to the girl up high with one arm while the girl arches her back, facing the wave that was carrying their board on full speed to land. The lift, as Kaito mentioned, was called the _Back Angel _lift. It was definitely one of the most difficult lifts ever done in tandem surfing. The tandem surfers had meetings and planned the types of lifts they needed to practice and use for the contest this coming Saturday, and among the most difficult to do was the _Back Angel_.

"I know you did... but if we're going to win, we can't do the same mistake ever again, Lucia... or else, we're done for."

Lucia placed her hand on Kaito's shoulder, trying to calm himself. "I'll be sure I'll be careful next time. I know we wiped out several times during practice, and that's normal. And I know that athletes get injured during practice. I get injured sometimes during swim practice in school too. And I know you get injured in surfing sometimes too. I have true faith in you, Kaito, even if this happened. You are, by major note, the greatest surfer ever lived in this generation. No matter who replaces you in the future as the champion, you'll always be the champion to me."

Kaito gave a light smile as his reaction. "Thanks, Lucia." Lucia remained smiling humbly, then without realizing it, Kaito slowly bent closer to her. Once that was happening, Lucia closed her eyes, thinking this may finally be her first kiss. It was not just a first kiss, but a kiss from the one she loved for the longest time.

Instead, Kaito aimed for Lucia's bandage and planted a long yet gentle kiss. Lucia shut her eyes to calm her rapidly beating heart as she felt his lips on the bandage. "Ah, Kaito..."

The handsome surfer boy withdrew and gazed directly at her. "Hopefully it'll heal before Friday, hm?"

"Kaito, you mean Saturday, right?"

"Well, you band dudes would be singing on the second day of the surf bands contest and... assuming you'd dress up in a really hot and wild bikini when you perform, you shouldn't have anything else that's on the way on your head--- unless you leave your bangs like this to cover it."

Lucia chuckled, placing her bangs back down, covering the bandage of her head. "I wouldn't worry about that, Kaito. No one's going to look at me when we perform anyway. With OC-5, everyone's eyes are towards Rihito the lead singer and Taro the _king of surf guitar_, you know?"

Kaito raised an eyebrow of suspicion and said "Oh, I wouldn't go that far. The OC-5 has two fine girls in the band too. Guys would be staring at you and Rina, you know."

"Silly--- I'm sure guys would be staring at Rina since she's our beach babe candidate for the beauty pageant, right? Who would want to look at some average-looking _kook _girl like me?"

_I would... _Kaito's voice spoke in his mind, but shut his eyes to ignore that thought. "Who _wouldn't _want to look at a sweet girl like you?"

"Well, I've never had a boy try to hit on me before..." Lucia gulped nervously, making sure she did not accidentally slip any words she did not mean to reveal. At that time she found herself blushing again. _This isn't fair... I can't help myself... everything Kaito says to me... just makes me blush so much. I just wish he would really... I really wish he would say something about me... like... how beautiful I am... or how cute I am even... I guess I have no effect on him at all..._

"Are you telling me that those dudes from Seiyo Valley were the first dudes who actually hit on you? Remember that day and that stupid bet we ended up making regarding the tandem surfing contest?"

Lucia lowered her head, sighing at the same time. "Of course... how can I forget? I... it just drives me insane thinking that for me, it'd be a lose-lose situation regarding the bet. I don't want any of those dudes to kiss me... not only that it'd make me look bad... and that it'd make me feel like a total loser, but... well..."

Kaito lifted Lucia's head by the chin so he could have a good look at her. "I'm telling you--- they won't get to kiss you. I'll make sure none of them would ever lay a finger on you. Besides, if they want to get to you, they'll have to pass through me first."

"Well, what happens if we win and then you get to kiss whoever girl you want to kiss... in front of everyone?"

"Hm?" Kaito gave a slight snicker on his face. "You worry about me kissing some girl if we win?"

"I... uh..." Just as Lucia was afraid of, she did end up blurt something she did not mean to say. She had to find another good reason fast before Kaito began to assume things with her. "Well... it's just that... I know it's bad whenever you think about your fan club, but... wouldn't your fan club and all the girls who have major crushes on you be... crushed? That is... if you... if you end up kissing some girl who's not from Nijibe...? It's also going to be a lose-lose situation too..."

Right then, Kaito gave a light bonk on Lucia's head with a grin on his face. "Hey! That hurt!" Lucia shrieked with a glare on her face.

"Girl, I've kissed several girls in the past and the so-called fan club and those girls who got major crushes on me would always feel crushed. It's nothing different... unless if _you're the one_ who's going to be _crushed_..."

"Wait a minute! I'm just concerned!" Lucia continued to deny the real truth behind her worrying as much as she can. "I mean... well, uh... I'll be _crushed _because you'll be _crushing_ the pride and honor of all the girls in Nijibe... tht's all! I mean... I have pride and honor too as a _Nijibejin_!"

"Pride and honor, huh?" Kaito winked right at her, which made her blush even more, even when she tried to ignore it. "Damn... for the minute there, I thought you do have a _crush _on me!"

Lucia found herself stunned with the latter and found her heartbeat beating rapidly. _Oh God... if only he would just realize-- and recognize--- that I'm Leolani... maybe he would have revealed himself to me... or make moves on me... or..._

"This isn't fair, Kaito... we've spent so much together in the summer..." At that point, the teen girl found herself filled with so much emotion that it was too difficult for her to keep everything to herself. As a result she felt tears forming right on her eyes. "And I truly treasure every moment we spent together, even tonight... and tomorrow night on our date at the festival... and the tournament... I love every moment when we're together, even if we're just sitting and talk about so many things in life... I've gotten so used to being with you that I... I just couldn't stand seeing you flirting or spending time with other girls... I don't know what I'm going to do if we lose... or if we win and then you kiss another girl as the reward for winning the bet... God, I hate those jerks for throwing such a stupid bet that would even ruin my special ties with you... it's like... it's like..."

"--- Like we'll never see each other again?" Kaito finished her statement. Instead he gave her a small smile and gently wiped off her tears with his thumb. "Yo, don't be like that, Lucia. The competition day isn't until Saturday. Don't think about what's going to happen in the future. And even if I did choose to kiss some girl who's not a _Nijibejin_, it wouldn't mean anything." He sighed deeply right after he finished wiping off her tears. "Besides, I don't plan on leaving Nijibe for some outsider girl anyway... and regardless of whether I'm all over the place with the media, I don't know that very many girls outside Nijibe unless if they're surfer chicks or girlfriends of other surfers."

Lucia remained silent and immediately embraced Kaito to her, with her head resting on his broad shoulder. Somehow she surrendered to her filling emotions that those same tears returned. This time, she decided not to hold back and wept on his shoulder.

"Lucia... are you...?" Kaito trailed off, realizing that obviously, Lucia was not in her usual cheerful mood. Whatever it was, he did not want to question her and held her tight to him in return. But one thing was sure for him. He was very sure that after seven years and several one-week girlfriends, he surely did find her. Though he was still in contemplative mode, he continued to hush softly on her ear. Just when they both find themselves comfortable in each other's arms, Kaito began to softly sing a song he had not heard--- or sang--- for the longest time.

_Hush-a-bye, hush-a-bye_

_Oh my darling, don't you cry_

_Guardian angels up above_

_Take care of the one I love..._

Right before he continued he quickly realized what just happened. He stopped immediately, wondering how on earth he remembered a particular childhood lullaby. True, he was not thinking about the memory of his mother who sang this song to put him and Gaito to sleep during childhood, but at this point, he was thinking about Lucia and whatever sadness that caused her to shed tears at this point.

"Kaito... please don't stop..." Lucia whispered softly in his ear. "I love listening to you sing..."

"Really? You like it...?" Kaito's eyes opened wide in surprise. "Thanks... I think..."

"Please keep going..."

Kaito smiled to himself with a blissful feeling within him. Sure, he admitted to himself that he had no time to fall in love this summer due to his focus and devotion to tournament preparedness. But now, here he was with his tandem surfing partner, his new close friend, spending their third night at the beach at this very same spot and the second night underneath the full moon.

_The surfer moon..._

"Okay." He nodded while Lucia closed her eyes as if she was about to fall asleep on his shoulder.

_Lullaby and goodnight_

_In your dreams, I'll hold you tight_

_Lullaby and goodnight_

_Till the dawn's early light_

But this was not a dream, he thought to himself. _I should have known from the beginning..._ He continued to smile to himself and continued on.

_Pillows lying on your bed_

_Oh my darling, rest your head_

_Sandman will be coming soon_

_Singing you a slumber tune_

Just as he finished his short lullaby, his ears immediately detected a very soft sound that sounded like a series of Z's. That was when Kaito realized that Lucia just fell asleep on his shoulder. "Lucia?"

He tapped the sleeping girl in his arms, but Lucia did not respond. Slowly he released her and Lucia was completely still with no movement reaction. He gazed at her face and sure enough, her eyes were closed and spotted a slight drool on the side of her mouth. He did not want to burst in to laughter, but instead just shook his head, trying to prevent himself from laughing.

"Oh hell no--- you crazy girl! Falling asleep on my shoulder like that... Jeez!" Slowly he laid her down on her side of her beach blanket, then reached for his backpack and brought out an extra beach blanket. "Dang, girl... what am I gonna do with you?" He unfolded the beach blanket and placed it on the sleeping Lucia. Afterwards he laid down on his side of the beach blanket and placed his arms behind his head, staring right up the moon. Once he gazed at the moon, he began to contemplate with his inner voice speaking of something he just found out recently.

He found himself chuckling to himself, thinking about this fact. _You were right, G. She would make a good girlfriend for me. But... I need to slow down..._ He turned his head towards Lucia, who was still in her deep, blissful sleep.

_I can't wait for our date tomorrow night at the festival. I feel so lucky this summer... because I found you..._

He turned his head back to the moon and continued to have the inner voice continue to speak. _Is this your doing, Surfer Moon? Jeez... I can't believe we even named our surfboard after you and that song too... Then again, it sounds a lot cooler than "Surfee Surf and the Surfites"..._

Kaito yawned right then as his eyes began to grow heavy. _Oh man... I'm getting sleepy too. Then again, it's not that cold anyway. Since Lucia's sleeping already, I might as well sleep too._ He stretched out his arms and reached for his backpack again. He closed his backpack and using the soft padding on the back side, he used it as his pillow and closed his eyes.

Two hours after the tandem surfing couple fell asleep, a familiar figure appeared right at their spot, looking over them. The night was already past midnight and the full moon was still shining brighter than earlier. Once this figure spotted Kaito and Lucia asleep, the figure slowly stepped away from them with thoughts in mind.

_Oh Leolani... you really do love your Kaikane... don't you?_

The figure jumped off from Kaito and Lucia's spot and walked right at the sand. At the spot where the figure halted was a surfboard standing through the sand. The surfer removed the board and then dashed right towards the sea. Right at the water, the surfer jumped on to the board and began to paddle to where the breakers were coming. When the surfer paddled far enough from the shore, the surfer brought out two perfectly-sewn _lei_--- one with white Jasmine blossoms and the other with purple plumeria flowers--- and let the waves carry them to the bottom of the sea--- or wherever those flower wreathes may end up.

_Please look after Leolani and Kaikane when they face the Dainami-Oni during this coming week's Regional Surf Scenes Tournament. Don't let that horrible wave take them down like how it took you down._

_I want to make peace with you today... and I'm sorry for blaming you for your deaths. I haven't been a dutiful daughter when you were alive. I hope you would forgive me._

After a few moments of contemplation on her own, Nicola heard the the sea beginning to break. Quickly she opened her eyes, faced the breaking waves, and maneuvered her board forward as she stood. She took control of the wave that was pushing her back to the land and rode the wave back to land.

An hour later after Nicola headed back home, Kaito woke up from his sleep. Next to him was the still sleeping Lucia, who just curled herself to her side facing him. He felt slight heat surrounding him that he felt himself sweating at such a bright night. _What the hell... it sure is hot at this time of the night._

He felt sweat on his forehead and reached for a towel in his backpack to wipe his hand off. He turned to Lucia and noticed that she did not have any form of cushion to support her head. Right then, he removed his shirt, leaving him shirtless, and folded his shirt in a way that would feel like a pillow. Slowly he lifted Lucia's sleepy head and placed his rolled up shirt under her head to give her support.

_At least I'm a lot cooler now_. Leaving himself shirtless, he laid back on his usual spot and headed back to sleep.

Morning came and the sun rays were taking a slight peek from the horizon. The early morning heat was already present, which woke Lucia up from her sleep. As she opened her eyes, she discovered the slightly bright sky above her, which made her realize that she never went home last night. _I'm... outside... and I slept... outside... here at the beach?_

She began to panic, wondering what on earth just happened last night that put her to sleep. Slowly she turned her head to her right to see the shirtless Kaito sleeping, which made her blush and shake in nervousness. _What... why is Kaito shirtless...? _What even made her become nervous as ever was that her arms were all over Kaito's bare chest. _Oh my god! Why... what... oh no... what did we do...? Why am I all over him...?_

Quickly she pulled her arms away from his bare chest, which to her unfortunate case, made Kaito wake up. _Oh darnit--- he's waking up! Oh man... what am I gonna do...?_

Kaito yawned as he opened his eyes. Right then he spotted Lucia with a rather panicked expression on her face. He then flashed a smile at her. "Well, well. Good morning, sexy!"

"Sexy?!" Lucia shrieked in horror and gazed at herself. She still had her normal clothes on. "What--- why are you shirtless like that?"

Kaito placed his hand on his forehead as if he was indicating that he too did not remember what happened. "Oh I don't know... you were crying on my shoulder... and I tried to keep you calm... _stuff_ happened and we went to sleep."

"_Stuff..._ happened?" Lucia swallowed in panic as she completely covered herself with her arms. "What... _stuff_...?"

Kaito stretched his arms and placed his arms underneath his head, gazing at the dawn sky. "Oh... you know... _stuff_."

"What _stuff_, Kaito?" Lucia lost her cool right then and began to get desperate. "What happened to us, Kaito? Aren't you worried about... you know?"

"Me?" Kaito began to chuckle softly, even if he tried to hold his temptation to laugh within him. "Why would I worry? It's just natural when a hot guy and a darn cute girl at the beach underneath a beautiful night sky with the full moon... _Stuff _happens!"

"Nooo..." Lucia was about to burst in to tears of worry when Kaito hushed her. "I'm too young for all this... I can't even remember what exactly happened..."

"Calm down, Lucia..." Kaito chuckled. "It's not what you think. I did sing something to you and you just fell asleep. I didn't want to wake you so I let you sleep at your spot. Me, on the other hand, the night got warm so I took my shirt off and had you use my shirt as a pillow---"

"Eep!" Lucia scooted away from Kaito and spotted his shirt right on her spot. "Kaito--- you didn't... you didn't... I mean... you didn't..."

Kaito sighed, still in a rather joking mode, and answered. "Oh Lucia... do you have an idea how much you turn me on every time we see each other like this? I was so tempted... but I had to control myself."

The blonde girl began to blush even more as if she had just reached a record-breaking fire-red face because of it. "Kaito... you're teasing me..."

"Look, nothing happened, Lucia. fYou just fell asleep. I fell asleep too and that was it. Though I gotta admit, your body all over me while we were sleeping felt so good that I was seriously tempted..."

"Oh God.. help me..." Lucia lowered her head, sighing deeply and began to curl herself in protective mode. "I just hope that nothing really happened last night... I mean... what if someone sees...?"

"I swear, I can't help but laugh about it. You're fully-clothed, right? You got nothing to worry about. Besides, I have personal morals too, you know." He stood up from his spot and reached for his rolled up shirt. He looked at the time at his cellphone. "Anyway, it's only five-thirty in the morning. I got some time to get ready for today's press conference."

Lucia suddenly forgot about this _stuff _issue and turned to the issue of the tournament. "Oh that's right. The press conference... but only the big names get to be interviewed."

"Yup. That's why the dudes and I have to get ready. I'm one of the people they're going to interview there. Meanwhile, you just need to get ready yourself for our festival date tonight. Right?"

Lucia smiled happily just as Kaito gave her another wink. "Sure! No problem!"

The two stopped by Pearl Waters first. It seemed that everyone was asleep and it was safe for Lucia to sneak in to her room and pretended that she did come home and was in bed. However, once they entered the dining area, the two became startled to see the Pearl Waters manager on the table, apron and baking utensils and ingredients and everything.

"Ni... Nicola..." Lucia gasped in shock, fearing that the older sister may give her some sort of punishment for not coming home that night. She already feared her just by her rather blunt-looking expression on her face. "I can explain---"

Kaito intervened and spoke directly at Nicola. "It's my fault. I didn't take your sister back home."

Nicola then shook her head and gave a light smile. "Kaito. You need to go home and get ready for the press conference. Thank you for taking Lucia home."

"Nicola...?" Lucia became more worried than ever as Kaito stood still with a fearless expression on his face.

"But... I beg you, Nicola..." Kaito began, still looking fearless but worried all at once. "The festival... I want to take her there tonight and it'd be really unfair if you forbid her from going just because of last night---"

"Kaito, just go home. We'll talk some other time. You've only got about two hours to get ready for the press conference."

"Nicola..." Lucia sighed deeply as Kaito gave the same sigh.

"I'll see you later, Lucia. I'll call you when the press conference is over."

"I'm so sorry, Kaito..." Lucia felt tears of guilt forming from her eyes as Kaito headed to the door. Before he exited, he turned to Lucia and smiled.

"It'll be alright, Lucia. We'll make up for the mistakes we made. Okay?"

Lucia gave a faint smile and nodded. "Okay. I'll see you later." Kaito gave a wave to the two sisters as he exited the door. The younger Nanami girl faced Nicola at that point and began to speak. "You can't ground me today, Nicola--- please don't forbid me from going to the festival with Kaito tonight... please..."

"Lucia, sit down." Nicola invited her younger sister to take a seat at another empty table as the two sisters sat.

"Nicola, please... don't you understand how this festival is so important to me? I know you have doubts about Kaito because of his reputation... even Hippo still has doubts about Kaito but he's not what everyone thinks he is. He wasn't what everyone says he is or is supposed to be. He's very caring, sincere, friendly, open, and sympathetic. I mean, I'm not saying he's the perfect guy, but with the way he reacts to all my troubles... he really does care for me. We get in to small fights and stuff but we always make up afterwards. Nicola, if only you'd spend some time with him---"

"Shh..." The older Nanami girl hushed her sister and instead gave her a smile. "I have to admit something to you. I saw you and Kaito sleeping together at the beach last night---"

"Eek!" Lucia exclaimed in complete shock, still confused with what really happened last night. _Stuff happened, he said..._ "I can't even remember how... how Kaito and I ended up falling asleep the entire night and... I don't even remember if..."

"Calm down, Lucia. I believe you."

"Believe me...? What do you mean?"

Nicola gave a confident smile at her sister. "When I found the two of you, he never laid a finger on you. He gave you your own space when you fell asleep. I guess the reason why he didn't take you home last night because he did not want to wake you up. He was indeed a kindhearted boy."

"Wait... I don't get it... I mean if you saw me and Kaito last night at the beach sleeping... why did you just leave me sleeping with Kaito next to me then? Wouldn't you be really angry if you've seen me sleeping with some guy you don't trust?"

"I would be angry if I have seen you sleeping with some dude you don't trust, but Lucia... I know who Kaito Doumoto is. He's not just _some dude_, he's a dude that you and I are both familiar with--- well, you moreso than me."

"I'm confused, Nicola... I thought you would be..."

Nicola shook her head and continued. "I've been hating on surfer boys in general because of what happened to me with Tasuki Maki when I was your age..."

"Wait.. Tasuki... Maki's younger brother? The same dude who shaped our tandem boards?" Nicola nodded in response. "Well, I learned something from Maki one time about what happened to you and T-Mack. He was still young then and so were you. You had no idea what it means to be truly in love. He, unfortunately, led you on to thinking that he really liked you, only in the end that he'd humiliate you by dumping you and rejecting you... and pretended he didn't know you..."

"I was cautious with Kaito because I did not want you to end up having a broken heart like I did, Lucia. I wanted to make sure that he would not do the same as what T-Mack did to me... although Mom and Dad really like him a lot. They both loved the twins, but it seemed that they found Kaito a lot more delightful because he was more of the hardcore surfer type than Gaito was. And... wow..." Nicola began to chuckle just as she began to recall a few memories.

"Oh girl, when you were still little, it was love at first sight for you! The first time the Rainbowside had their first family gathering when you were like five or six, the two tandem couples--- Mom and Dad and the Does--- the Doumotos, that is--- introduced their kids to each other. I remembered how much you blushed when you first saw Kaito. You were even too shy to even say hell to him too. You always clung on to me or to Taro in hiding every time you would see the twins. He was such a nice, gentle kid, Lucia... he sure was a delight!"

Lucia blushed and smiled in agreement. "Isn't he the sweetest, Nicola? Every time he would make such nice gestures, even if it's a small compliment about my singing or the food I serve or even my hair, he just makes me blush all over!"

"Kaikane was his _surf nick_... but it was also his second name since he and Gaito were born in Hawaii and lived there for their first few childhood years. I thought it was seriously an awesome _surf nick_ because it really fit his personality. He loved to surf, always followed his parents wherever they go, and at the same time he also loved music. He was definitely a very versatile musician. He would've been a successful musician like Taro and Rihito... but you know, ever since his parents perished against the _Dainami-Oni _like our parents, the poor boy just changed. He wasn't a huge girl-crazy boy when he was little--- then again he was still little and didn't understand what it meant to have a crush and all that--- but he changed after the _Dainami-Oni _incident. He just gave up on music and concentrated more on surfing. He felt that he and Gaito had a name to carry if they do continue to surf and thought that surfing and music can't mix together."

"Poor Kaikane..." Lucia sighed and lowered her head. "He must have felt so empty when he shut out his love of music and concentrate more on surfing..."

"Well... it looks like his heart is becoming full again when you and he began to talk this summer. From what Hanon and Rina told me about that one fateful day, it was your singing that drew Kaito to you. It wasn't because you're pretty or that he felt sorry for you or anything. Somehow, your singing began to refill the empty part of his heart, and because of that, you and he are often together for almost the entire summer, even if you were just hanging out at the juice bar and talk."

_That's right... she's right... _Lucia's inner voice began to speak as she began to think. _Kaito sang a lullaby to me when I was feeling so down... it was a very sweet lullaby too... and what's ironic about it was that he also sang that song seven years ago when I fell asleep... and he woke up... after that crazy accident..._

"Oh Nicola... I... I really do think he likes me too... a lot! I mean, if he didn't then he wouldn't ask me out on a date tonight. Right?"

"Kinda obvious, don't you think?"

"Nicola... Kaito has nothing but praise and admiration for you."

Nicola's eyes blinked right when Lucia mentioned the latter. "He did...? What's to praise about me besides that I'm the manager of this restaurant and that you and I are sisters?"

"You're the reason why Kaito really wanted to pursue surfing as a competitive sport, not just recreational. What Kaito's parents taught him and Gaito, it was recreational. There was this one move that mentioned that he wanted to master in order to break your record."

"Oh? I don't know what I've done... I've forgotten what I've done in the past... I haven't been surfing as often, you know?"

"Um.. he said... let me remember... ah!" Lucia snapped her fingers right when she remembered the certain move Kaito mentioned. "It's the _Triple Spinner Aerial_! That's it!"

"_Triple Spinner Aerial_...?" Nicola began to ponder if she really did that particular move. "Sounds impossible... I have never heard of any surfer who can do a _Triple Spinner Aerial_. That move's just going to lead you to getting wiped out."

"What's a _Triple Spinner Aerial_ anyway?" Lucia asked curiously.

"Three rotations with your surfboard while you're on air. Not an easy thing to do. In fact, I don't think it's even possible for any surfer to do something like that."

"But you did that, Nicola! Or should I say... Cole Seahart! Kaito wasn't the only one who saw you with that move. The entire tribe saw you did that move, not just once, but seven times--- in competitions and during practice! If they said that you've done it, then I think it's possible!"

"Well, whatever Kaito is planning, he'd better not fool around during the tournament. I'd suggest for him not to do that move during competition."

"I guess... I'll let him know that." Lucia said with a smile, then changed the subject. "Say, Nicola... what are you doing?"

"Oh, making dark chocolate bonbons. Want to help out?" Nicola asked with a smile on her face.

"I'll do the powdering!"

"Go grab an apron."

Lucia skipped happily to the kitchen to get her apron as Nicola continued to blend her batter for their dark chocolate bonbons.

* * *

_**Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch **is © 2003 Pink Hanamori and Michiko Yokote. All songs used are © respected songwriters/owners. No copyright infringement intended._

_RATED T for the VERY mild language and slight adult situations._

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES**:_

_Discussion for my fic is now open in the brand-new MMPPP fan board, **Pearl Waters**. The URL is **pearlwaters(dot)cambribus-magister(dot)net**. Make sure you replace the (dot) with the actual "."._

_#1 – **Japan Pro Surfing Association (JPSA) **and **Surfrider Foundation Japan –** Two of the national surfing organizations in Japan (yes, they do exist!) who sponsor major surfing competitions (local, national, and international) that set in Japan._

_#2 – **Shonan –** (see **Author's Notes** in Chapter 1: A Local Summer Story)_

_#3 – **24-hour Time Format –** In the U.S., we call it **Military Time**. In Japan, they write their times using the 2**4-hour Time Format** rather than the standard **12-hour Time Format **(a.m. & p.m. time). For example, instead of writing 1:00 p.m., it's written as 13:00. Same goes with the preceding hours until midnight (0:00), in which 24:00 is not used. (in this case, 1:00 p.m. = 13:00, 2:00 p.m. = 14:00, 3:00 p.m. = 15:00, 4:00 p.m. = 16:00, 5:00 p.m. = 17:00, 6:00 p.m. = 18:00, 7:00 p.m. = 19:00, 8:00 p.m. = 20:00, 9:00 p.m. = 21:00, 10:00 p.m. = 22:00, 11:00 p.m. = 23:00) _

_#4 – **Japanese School Year** – A typical school year begins in April and ends in March. There is a one-week spring break between March and April (after graduation days in March and first day of the new school year in April), a month or two-month summer break (late July to early September, depending on the school), and a 1 or 2-week winter/Christmas break in December and January (depending on the school). Also, depending on the school, school days are from Monday to Friday or Monday to Saturday (usually Saturdays are half-days). Because of the school year structure, some schools provide summer homework to their students. In the case of my fanfic, the schools in Nijibe do not provide summer homework (only because they have a very strong surf and beach culture that it's just a waste of the beautiful sun and summer heat to be spent inside the house cramming on summer homework), unless if you attended some other school outside Nijibe (in the case of Michal, Coco, Caren, and Noel)._

_#5 - **"The Bonfire Dance" **- I don't know if this was common with surf tribes back in the days (or even today), but this was an example of what the tribe's "rituals". Derived from a few '60s beach movies, it's when a boy and a girl are paired up (usually it's for official couples, but there's also the cases of having some random dude taking a random chick) and... well... "do their business" between those two longboards and a huge beach blanket on top._

_#6 – **Mandarin Orange Rooibos Iced Tea –** **Rooibos** means "red bush" in the Afrikaans (South African language) and/or Dutch. It's a very popular, common tea beverage served hot or cold in Africa, based on the African Red Bush plant. It has a sweet, smooth, and nutty flavor and can be drunk by anyone of all ages by itself or by adding milk and honey. It can be mixed with fruit juice for a fresh, refreshing, and heavily healthy iced drink to quench the thirst when it is very needed. It also has various health benefits, moreso than green tea or white tea, that can prevent different cancers, diabetes, and all other possibly terminal diseases. Though sweet and nutty, no sugar is needed. If you live in the U.S., you can find **Mandarin Orange Rooibos Iced Tea** in your local supermarket. **Crystal Light **sells a box of 10 packets of powdered mandarin orange rooibos iced tea under the name of **Natural Mandarin Red Tea**. Simply put, if you see "red tea" on the label of a box of teas, that would be the **Rooibos** tea. I've been addicted to this drink that I decided to add it in the fic. :P_

_#7 – **Nijibejin** (_虹辺人_**) –**_ a person/native/resident of Nijibe. In Japanese, anytime you see "-jin" at the end of a Japanese name of some sort, they are referring to the race, ethnicity, and/or origin of that person. In this case, Lucia is referring herself as a native resident of Nijibe.


	16. Summer Festival

**RIDE THE WILD SURF  
a Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch Fanfiction**

by Adrimarie

**Summer Festival**

**SATURDAY – 8/22**

_(The day before Day 1 of the Regional Surf Scenes Tournament)_

The entire Pearl Waters staff were already up and ready and currently enjoying their breakfast. The clock stroke at seven o'clock, just an hour before the Tournament Preview Day Press Conference. Among the entire staff, the young Hippo Nanami will be the first to arrive early at the press conference. He also had an appointment with some important representatives from _Surfer Styles _magazine regarding his artistic abilities in surf photography. He was already assigned to be the official photographer of all the Nijibe surfers, most particularly Kaito Doumoto. The advantage Hippo had with his photographs was that magazines such as _Surfer Styles _or other major magazines around the world such as _Surfing _and _Surfer _magazines will have to pay him in order to publish his photos in their magazine issues.

Though Hippo was on his way to Nijibe Central Beach, a few of the staff did plan to go to the press conference, not just to listen to the interviews, but to also scope their competitors and the challenges they may face once tournament began. For Lucia, she decided to watch the press conference on TV until it ended. She planned to make a whole lunch course for him after the press conference was finished. She already gave herself a head start at the kitchen while the others discussed about the tournament.

"Smells good, Lucia!" Rina called out at the kitchen while she was just finishing her honey waffles. "So I take you don't plan to watch the press conference at the Central Beach today?"

"Nope!" Lucia called out as she appeared herself at the kitchen counter. "I'm cooking a special lunch basket for Kaito later today after the press conference. But we're leaving the big TV on so I'd still able to watch it while I'm busy at the kitchen."

"Do you need some help, Lucia? I don't mind staying behind."

Hanon stood up from her seat and turned to Rina. "Are you crazy, Rina? I thought you made a promise to Masahiro that you'll be meeting him at the press conference later today? He'll be so mad if he finds out you're standing him up!"

"Rina? Standing up her man? I don't think so, Hanon." From Hanon's left side, the shortboard surfer Coco joined in the conversation. "She's not required to be at the press conference since the media's only interested in the big-named surfers there. Obviously Nijibe hasn't had any competitive surfer girls for the past seven years until today, but none of the sisters or myself are big-named surfers, so we're not getting interviewed."

"Besides," Caren spoke right after Coco ended her statement, "we're not just there to listen to the interviews but we're there to check out the competition. Noel, Coco, and I are somewhat new names in the surfing world, though Coco was already somewhat mentioned in the surfing world seven years ago when she competed along with the boss, Cole Seahart."

"That's kinda wrong though." Noel joined in the conversation. "I think the media should also focus on all the female surfers, not just the popular ones. I happen to know that Seiyo Valley has two prominent surfer girls who already won a lot of meets and invitationals--- the Kuromi Sisters."

"Kuromi Sisters?" Coco and Caren gasped curiously.

"I've heard of them," Hippo joined the conversation as he was preparing his camera gear in his backpack. "Mimi and SheShe Kuromi. They've won two major surf meets last year. SheShe won the shortboard competition while the younger sister Mimi won the longboard competition. Even if they already won two majors, they're not as seasoned as their own fellow Seiyo Valley surfer dudes. They're currently the favorites to win the female surfing contest this week, but as far as I'm concerned the female individual surfing competition is still an open game."

"It better be." Coco nodded in agreement. "I really hate it when I enter a surf meet that has a lot of favoritism in there. It's really discouraging to all potential competitors, you know? It should all be open and fair game."

Nicola stood up from her seat and gazed at the surfer girls. "The media will only mess with your minds. Don't believe a thing that they say about your competitors. Your mission out there is paddle out to the breakers and capture your wave. Coco, I know you've been in a surf meet before so you should be familiar with how the judges are going to judge you at. I've taken some time to read the regulations of the tournament and the entire surf scenes team's mission is to gain as many points as they can. Whether you may end up in first place in that particular contest or last place, you'll still gain points. This is a team tournament, not an individual one, so you've got your teammate to count on if you fail to place yourself in the top ten--- it's advisable you get to at least the top three."

"There is a famous saying, Nicola." Hippo responded, looking slightly confident but still had the usual sarcastic look on his face. "Know thy enemy as thou enter the battle."

"You're making it sound like we're in a war than a friendly sport competition, Hippo." Rina made her comment. "I'm not familiar with my own... enemy... since there's a lot of candidates for the beauty contest, but with the surf bands contest, I think we know who our enemy is."

"Well, whatever. I'm ready to go." Hippo lifted his backpack on to his back just as Taro stood up from his seat, wiping his mouth with his napkin gently. "You ready, Taro?"

"Shouldn't we wait for the girls?" Taro asked curiously. Right then, Hanon, Rina, Coco, Noel, and Caren stood up, finishing up their breakfast. "Oh, then never mind."

"Let's go, Mr. M!" Hanon cheered happily and stood next to him. "I got the shotgun!"

"Right, Hanon..." Taro answered with a slight grin on his face when he heard his cellphone ring. "Just a sec." He reached for his cellphone in his pocket and gazed at the caller ID at the outside screen. He opened it and answered. "What's up, Rite-O?"

From the other line, Rihito answered. _"Are you guys coming over here now or what?"_

"Hold your horses, dude. Yeah, we're on our way. Where are you right now?"

"_That's the thing. I'm at the press conference!"_

Taro raised an eyebrow of suspicion. "Why are you there? I thought you'll be here at Pearl Waters?"

"_I wish... but I had to be here. Michal is present..."_

"Why would Michal be at the press confe--- oh." Taro sighed deeply and clered his throat. "Michal is a big girl. I'm sure she's old enough to take care of herself---"

"_That's not the reason why I'm here. I'm just keeping an eye on her. She only came to the press conference to see Kaito, you know."_

"Hm..." Taro sighed once more, then answered. "Well, if you're hoping, Lucia won't be coming with us. She's busy at the kitchen making lunch for him."

"_Well, you better let Lucia know to call Kaito before he leaves home. In that way he doesn't end up having lunch with Michal when given a chance."_

Taro exited the restaurant quickly so he can have more privacy in this conversation. "Man... You really don't want Michal to pursue Kaito, don't you?"

"_I just don't think Michal is right for Kaito anyway. What she feels for him isn't love, Taro. As a part-time surfer myself, I wouldn't want a girl who always complains about the hobbies that identify who I really am or the people I hang out with. Michal is lonely, I know. Our parents are barely at home just to spend some time with us, plus my conducting tours all year round too. How would Kaito feel if Michal demanded him that if he wants to show his worth to her that he had to give up surfing?"_

Taro rubbed his forehead gently and sighed. "Well, what are you gonna do if Michal doesn't get things her way with Kaito?"

"_What am I going to do? She never listens to me or my opinions anyway... and you're asking me what I'm going to do about it? Hell, she never listened to Kaito anyway. If she really loves him that much then she'll have to accept the fact that surfing to Kaito is life. You know Michal wasn't very much of a beach girl anyway."_

"Well, what exactly do you want me to do, Rihito? The only thing I can tell you is that Kaito shouldn't let your sister get to him. Just by observing those two Kaito had no other form of reaction other than being a friend and a substitute big brother to her. And yet Michal wants more from him." Taro then shook his head and quickly changed the subject. "Dude, why are we talking about this right now? We're about to head off now."

"_Ah, sorry. Alright then. I'll see you guys here."_

The two friends hung up as Taro called for everyone to hop in to the Pearl Waters van. Once again, Taro designated himself as the official driver of the group, knowing he was the only one who had a valid driver's license.

Many minutes later, Lucia was still in the kitchen preparing a variety of finger sandwiches while cooking her signature curry stew on the stove top. She was filling up her rice cooker with uncooked rice, washed it, and re-poured more fresh water before she placed it in the cooker when her cellphone in her pocket rang. Quickly she reached for it and found Kaito's name on her caller ID screen. She opened her cellphone and answered.

"Good morning, Kaito! I'm in the kitchen right now, doing some light cooking!"

"_Aw... I take you won't be at the press conference then?" Kaito answered with a rather sad tone. "I was hoping you'd be there so I can see you whenever I get nervous at the press conference."_

Lucia softly chuckled and continued. "Well, you see, I'm making you lunch after the press conference. I was hoping that after the press conference that we could meet at the usual rocky spot we always hang out at and have some kind of picnic and stuff. I'm gonna watch the press conference on TV though. Nicola just turned on the TV at the dining area."

"_You know, Lucia, I've been waiting for the day when you'd actually make me lunch. I've always enjoyed the dishes you'd cook for me whenever I dine in at Pearl Waters. Of course, I'm not rushing you or anything---"_

"Not at all, Kaito. I... actually... really wanted to make you lunch for awhile now but rumors told me that you don't normally accept lunches made by other girls or something. I even heard that you don't eat the chocolates girls give you during Valentine's Day and you'd just pass those chocolates out to the dudes so I figured..."

"_Lucia, as a surfing enthusiast, you should know the real reason why I don't normally eat whatever girls give me. It's not because I don't like them or not interested in them..."_

"Ah, of course..." Lucia nodded in agreement, knowing what Kaito was trying to point. "Surfers always have a more restrictive diet, most especially before surfing. Fruits, yogurt, very light snacking are always a typical surfer's diet--- unless if they weren't surfing, which in that case they would have to work out and get in shape."

Kaito laughed softly on the other end. _"But I am looking forward to lunch, Lucia. What's in it?"_

"Ah! Secret, Kaito! That's a secret! You'll have to find out once we meet up!"

"_Ooh... surprise, huh? I love surprises. Are there any more surprises do you have in store for me?"_

"Well... no... maybe at our festival date, Kaito."

"_Really? Dang girl, you really do know how to make me smile. I like that."_

"Well, I... I didn't really do anything... but if you insist, then you'll have your lunch courtesy of me!"

"_That's the best part... the lunch is from you."_

Lucia blushed heavily and sat down on the kitchen floor, cuddling herself together with excitement in her mind. "Oh Kaito... you're so sweet..."

"_What can I say? Because you're you, Lucia."_

"Now you're just teasing me." Lucia softly giggled like a young girl truly in love. "Well, I better let you go now. I can hear the TV announcing the press conference just started."

"_I don't mind... they're interviewing the sponsor officials right now. The big-named surfers will be interviewed in about an hour or two."_

"Oh!" Lucia stood up and headed back to cooking her rice, putting on a bluetooth headset on her ear and closed her cellphone. "Well, I guess we'll be spending an hour talking then?"

"_Can you talk while you're cooking?"_

"I'm on bluetooth... heh... heh..." Lucia chuckled softly as she finished setting up the rice cooker. She headed back to the stove to check on the stew in the pot. "So, I got a question. Do you think the media is gonna ask you personal questions and what not?"

"_That depends on who's interviewing, Lucia. I'm just praying it's strictly surfing magazines who's going to interview me and not one of those celebrity magazines where you get sick of seeing good-looking people in those pages, but sadly we can't control the media."_

"Well... it's just that... what if they ask you about me? When it comes to tandem surfing that is..."

"_Don't think about that. I don't think the media knows about me competing in tandem surfing, but then again those weird DJ people from that Nijibe Youth Talk Corner morning show are going to be there, broadcasting all of this live. I wouldn't be surprised if they pop that same question again."_

"Well... whatever you answer to them, I have faith in you. I don't really care if people learn about your _mysterious _tandem surfing partner."

"_But you know I like surprises, right? They'll find out later on the day of the actual competition anyway."_

"Well... it's up to you. Whatever you may answer them, I won't be angry. I'm sure you'd have a reason why you would respond like that."

"_That depends on the question asked. Again, let's just pray the questions would be about surfing and the tournament and nothing about my personal life."_

"I'll be praying with you once it's your turn to have your interview---"

Just as the two were about the continue with their phone call, Nicola arrived at the kitchen bar. "Lucia, looks like it's the surfers' turn to interview. Are you finished there yet?"

"Kaito's on the phone right now, Nicola!" Lucia cheered and returned to her current phone conversation. "You hear that? Nicola said it's you dudes' turn now!"

"_Yeah. I just heard Gaito calling me. You can never get enough free time to chat with all your favorite friends these days, don't you?"_

"What can I say, Kaito? You're a surf celebrity after all."

"_Ha ha..."_ Kaito burst in to laughter, then faded, changing to a new tone. _"Okay then. I'll see you at lunch then. I'll call you later once the press conference is over, just to be sure that you and I are on the same page. Okay?"_

"Not a problem. Call me when you need to. My cellphone's always on!" The two exchanged their byes to each other and hung up their cellphones. Lucia turned to the stove and called out to Nicola. "Nicola, can you turn up the volume? I'll just listen from the kitchen."

"You got it." Nicola used the TV's remote control to adjust the volume up.

A few hours arrived and Lucia was now packing the lunch she just prepared for Kaito in small yet hefty plastic containers right in a very thermal picnic basket. Though she looked very confident at this moment, she could not help but to think about the press conference earlier on TV. She could not help but to both giggle and worry at Kaito's way of handling tricky questions that the media just asked him. One of them happened to be a question that had nothing to do with surfing or the tournament.

"_Okay, here's the latest buzz within the small percentage of surfing fans--- as of last year, due to your numerous victories at past international competitions, many of the female fans already dubbed you as a 'surf sex symbol'. Have you heard about all this, Mr. Doumoto?"_

"_Wait... which one are you talking to? Me or my brother?"_

"_Oh, I'm speaking to Mr. Kaito Doumoto. I'm sorry about that!"_

"_Well, then that's your question, little bro!"_

"_Huh... okay... 'sex symbol', huh? I'm only fourteen-going-on-fifteen. I'm too young to have that title. I'd like to ask these fangirls a question though--- how is the sport of surfing would make a dude like me become a 'sex symbol'?"_

"_Well, I have another non-surfing-related question for you, Mr. Kaito Doumoto. Rumors have been spreading around Nijibe that your mysterious tandem surfing partner is also your new girlfriend. Could you clarify to those who are curious if this is true or not?"_

"_As far as my tandem surfing partner goes, let me explain a bit about tandem surfing because I think a lot of people are having a misconception as to what tandem surfing really is. Tandem surfing is not the motherload of competitive surfing. It's not a popular event compared to the individual contests such as shortboard contests and longboard contests, but it's slowly catching on at other countries including here in Japan. Tandem surfing is just like any other surfing event; nothing to make a big deal of it. And like any other surfing event, the surfers competing in tandem surfing prioritize the sport first and it involves very little personal relationships. If you take the time to watch any tandem surfing event held in Hawaii or California, you'll notice that all tandem surfing couples are lovers. Some are married couples, some are dating, some are brother and sister, some are father and daughter, some are mother and son, some are best friends who have boyfriends or girlfriends outside surfing, each tandem surfing couple have different relationships with each other. Since this question pertains to my personal relationship with whoever I've chosen for my tandem surfing partner, I chose this person because she had the same exact goals as mine in terms of entering the tandem surfing competition of the tournament."_

"_Which goal would that be?"_

"_Why, it's a simple answer: to be the best among the rest and win. You and your partner don't enter just to look good and make your fans jealous. You and your partner enter because you want to compete against other worthy opponents and like any other sport, you're out there to win it while having fun with the sport at the same time. My partner and I also represent Nijibe, just like my brother Gaito and his partner, and our grommet junior surfer and his partner. Besides, I think that any person who considers himself or herself a fan who care more about the personal lives of any big-named surfer rather than focusing on the accomplishments of that big-named surfer is not a real surfing fan. In surf talk, we have one term referring to those types of people..."_

Lucia nodded in agreement while she recalled this particular interview with the media she saw on TV earlier. _That's right, Kaito. You call these people 'kooks'. They go around acting like they're real surfers or think they know everything about surfing when they're really not. Man, Kaito, I love you more as time passes. I wish I was as calm and brave as you should I end up at a press conference like that_.

She finished packing up the lunch basket and was ready to go. She also made sure she was dressed for the part: a cherry blossom pink-colored baby tee with a red _hibiscus_ flower on it and denim shorts with a decent height slightly above her knees. _I'm not gonna swim today. I have to get ready for the summer festival too._

She exited the kitchen, where she spotted her Aunt Taki watching TV while on another table were Nicola and Maki just chatting. She gave them a thumbs up, signaling that she was ready to go. "I'm all packed up and ready to go!"

"Did you call Kaito yet, Lucia?" Nicola asked her younger sister. "Make sure that you guys are actually going to see each other at that particular spot now, alright?"

"Well," Lucia began her response, "he said he was going to call but I guess it'd be safer if I called." She reached for her cellphone from her shoulder bag when it began to play a favorite ringtone. "Oh! Well what do you know--- deja vu indeed!" Quickly she opened her phone and answered. "Hi, Kaito! I'm about to head out right now!"

"_Awesome. I just got to the beach, but I got a bit of bad news..."_

"Oh no... please don't say you're going to cancel our lunch meet..." Lucia sighed sadly, looking a lot more worried.

"_No, it's not that. These crazy media peeps tailed me and the dudes all the way to Sector 7 Beach. I wanted to have a private, quiet lunch with you so I gotta do a bit of surfing for them so they'd leave me alone."_

Lucia found herself blushing and gazed at the basket on her other hand. "You mean... just you and me... alone...?"

"_Why? Is there anyone else you're sharing that lunch basket with?"_

"N-no! It's just that... you know... You know how it is with us girls making lunch baskets for the dudes, right?" Quickly she placed her phone down and waved at Nicola, Maki, and Taki and quickly exited the door. She leaned herself against the wall and continued the conversation. "Say, I heard you don't normally eat the lunch that the girls would bring you. I gotta say, you're one lucky dude who didn't have to make his own lunch or even have to spend money at the cafeteria..."

"_Well, the rumor you heard is true though. I do accept the lunch baskets, but I feed them to the rest of the dudes. Those poor dudes--- it's bad enough they can't cook to save their lives, but no girls making lunches for them? We surfers need our grub too, you know!"_

Lucia giggled softly and nodded. "I understand. Truly understand. Maybe next time I should make lunch for all you dudes!"

"_I didn't say you can make lunch for all the other dudes. Besides, half of them already got their own chicks to do that thing... that is... if those chicks can actually cook... or if those dudes are like Masahiro, they don't need chicks to make lunch for them since their lunch is being brought to them on a limo."_

"Wow! Rich dudes do have everything any other dude would want to have... I mean, lunch delivered by limo? Crazy stuff!"

"_Hold on a sec, okay? Be right back." _Just as Lucia waited patiently she overheard Kaito from the distance of his phone receiver speaking to the media. Though slightly faint she was able to make up the words he mumbled. _"Sorry, this is an important phone call... I got folks from out of town whom I promised to eat lunch with. I hope you people would understand. My folks are very concerned about privacy, so please, I can't continue on with your interviews anymore."_

_Man, Kaito... you really rule when it comes to handling the media._ Lucia sighed deeply, admiring his public relations skills towards the media.

Few seconds later, she heard Kaito speaking to her again. _"Lucia, I'm gonna hang up now. I'm at our usual spot by myself. My twin's dragging the media along with him. I'll be waiting for you right here."_

"Oh! Uh... that is..." Quickly, Lucia crossed the street and dashed her way to the beach to find their usual rocky spot. Once she spotted the spot, she also spotted Kaito sitting there, waving right towards her. Right then she hung up her phone and began to climb up to the rock. "Sorry about that! I should have made my way here while we were talking..."

"Glad you made it, Lucia." Kaito greeted her with a smile as he reached for the basket to help her up. "Up you go."

"Thanks." She reached the top and sat right on the beach blanket Kaito just spread out. She opened the basket, setting up Kaito's plate and utensils. Afterwards, she brought out the plastic containers with the food she cooked earlier that morning.

"Hey--- just one plate?" Kaito asked curiously.

"Well, this entire lunch basket is for you, especially, you know."

"Well... I figured that but I'd feel really bad that I'm chowing down and you just sit there and watch me eat. I don't get girls sometimes with their lunch baskets, where they'd just watch the boy eating and they just sit there and watch them eat while they drool and blush and giggle at random. I thought we were going to eat together... is all..."

She felt herself blushing at that particular statement, but shook her head, trying to keep cool. "Well, I am kinda hungry and all, but don't worry, Kaito. I've done my own taste testing before I packed them up in these containers, so you've got nothing to worry about."

"Well, how about this. You got a bowl here--- for the rice, I guess. I'll just use this plate and this pair of chopsticks. You can use the spoon and fork here and you can use this rice bowl to get your share."

"Whatever you say, Kaito." The two hungry teens reached for the dishes in the plastic containers and helped themselves. The food was still fresh and hot like it was freshly cooked thanks to the thermal power of the lunch basket. One of the dishes Lucia made was a type of beef stew with a distinctive spice-blended sauce whom Kaito used to eat regularly during childhood.

"No way! Is this...?" Kaito took a sample of the stew along with rice and made his first bite. "It is! Man, I haven't had this since I was little. How'd you know this is the type of stew I love to eat?"

"I had... sources..." Lucia grinned happily. "Well, eat up, dude!"

Kaito snickered as he continued on eating while Lucia gathered her small share of the lunch and feasted along. As they ate, they continued to chat about what happened at the press conference that morning. "So, did you watch the entire press conference or did you only watch the part where the big-named surfers were being interviewed? Or did you only watch me?"

Lucia stuck her tongue after Kaito winked right at her for the latter. "Dude, you're not the main priority of this tournament, you know. Of course I saw the entire press conference!"

"Well, it wasn't as bad as I thought. For some reason the teenybopper surfing magazines had their non-tournament or non-surfing questions towards Sakiya and Kawamoto though. Guess I have competition for this entire _sex symbol _thing, huh?"

"You surfer dudes are so conceited sometimes, you know? That's the only downfall that majority of the younger male surfers have to the public. Your egos can get a lot more higher-leveled than the waves they're riding on! No wonder a lot of people are having a misconception that dudes in general get in to surfing or talk about surfing as if they're experts in them when they don't even do anything but to sit around trying to look like they're all that..."

Kaito placed his plate down to get some more of the food and continued. "Girl, what are you talking about? Why am I getting stared at, chased at, and being flirted at by so many girls in skimpy bikinis every time I go out to the beach and surf? It's the same with your assumption about dudes in general. You know how it goes--- hot dude with nothing but boardshorts on and a hot chick with nothing but a pair of dang skimpy bikinis _getting it on_ with each other under a very hot and boiling heat of the sun...?"

Lucia sighed and also began to get some more food on her bowl. "Well, you got a point too, Kaito. I'm sorry..."

"Hey, nothing to apologize for. Let's just call it even, alright?" Lucia nodded and began to feast on her second serving.

As Lucia ate, Kaito turned his head behind to make sure there was no one else approaching to their spot to disturb them. Once he did, he spotted one small thing he did not notice earlier when Lucia arrived. It was the same guitar backpack that had her acoustic guitar in it. He reached for it and opened her case.

"Well, what do we have here... you brought your guitar again." Kaito smiled as he took the guitar out from the case.

Lucia swallowed her current bite and answered. "Oh, I thought of giving you free entertainment while you're enjoying your lunch, so I brought it along with me."

"Free entertainment, huh? You're gonna end up drawing attention from everybody else in this beach including the media. Whatever happened to just _you and me _alone, Lucia?"

"_You and me alone"...? _Lucia's eyes opened wide in shock to hear the latter. She gulped and placed her bowl down. She reached for the guitar from Kaito and sighed. "It's just that... I want to give you the song I promised I'd sing you last month... is all. If I don't sing it now I might forget about it, you know?"

Kaito reached for the guitar again and took it from Lucia. "Well, save it for tonight--- at our date."

"Our date...?" Lucia's heart began to thump rapidly once more and quickly placed her hand on her chest. "Oh that's right! Our date... yes, of course!"

"There's a night before meeting of the entire Rainbowside and the tournament competitors at the S-Cube right after the summer festival. You can sing your song to me over there. It's a lot more private, a lot secluded, and I'm okay with you singing your song to me in front of everyone. It's also the _final night _PJ Party camp night, so all of us get to sleep on sleeping bags around the bonfire."

"Oh...? You mean... there's camping tonight too? How come I didn't know about that? I don't think Nicola would approve---"

"Erm... actually... this was all Nicola's idea... she talked to Gaito about it last night..."

"How come she never told me about it?"

"Well, your sister told Gaito to have me tell you myself. Dunno what the whole point was, so there."

"So, do I need to bring any camp stuff?" Lucia gently rubbed her chin with her fingers, thinking of what she needed to bring.

"Not really. Just a change of clothes--- bring your sleepwear and all that too--- and a sleeping bag. You can bring your guitar too if you want. After the festival we'll gather up at Pearl Waters, get our stuff ready, because the bus converters are gonna be picking us up."

Lucia gasped happily with stars in her eyes. "Tonight is going to be so cool! First this lunch, then our summer festival date, and a PJ Party at the S-Cube? Tomorrow is first day of the tournament, even if it's just the opening ceremony and what not, so we got plenty of time to prepare and all that!"

"Yup. I seriously look forward to it. It'll be a lot of fun, Lucia. I promise you that."

"Thanks, Kaito!" _Gosh... he's so incredibly nice today... then again... lately he's been incredibly nice even if he was sarcastic here and there ever since we paired up for the tandem surfing contest later this week. Oh man... he's so happy right now... really happy... I wonder if... if..._

Lucia blushed once more and turned her head around so Kaito would not notice. She continued to eat her lunch as she began to contemplate. _Okay, Lucia, calm down. Don't get all jumpy and everything. Just keep on eating. _Right then she continued to eat continuously, noticing that Kaito also went back to eating his own share of the lunch. As she continued to eat, she continued to think once more.

_Oh man... tonight has gotta be the night. Could it be that... could it be that... Kaito likes me too? Wait a minute... of course he likes me. He already told me that weeks ago. What I mean to say was..._

As she ate, her mind began to provide her visions of what might happen tonight. She found herself engrossed in this vision as she witnessed it in her own dream world.

*********

_Lucia and Kaito had been enjoying their night at the summer festival, eating different types of desserts and snacks, playing games at the booths, and winning prizes at each booth contest being provided. One of the major events that they had was a pair karaoke contest, where she and Kaito showed off their singing skills to the audience that many talent scouts from the industry even discovered them and offered them a contract to record songs as a duo, but sadly both Lucia and Kaito declined due to their loyalty to the local surf band known as the OC-5 (even if Kaito was not a member of the OC-5 himself)._

_At that point, just as Kaito began to hold Lucia's hand as they walked through the festival, they were spotted by both the media and the Kaito Doumoto fangirls and began to chase them. Lucia panicked as Kaito took her hand once more, leading her away from the fanatics until they reached the coast. Just like in the beginning, they both jumped over the bordering fence to reach the beach and continued to run all the way until Kaito found a secret trail that led them all the way to the S-Cube._

_Once they reached the S-Cube, they were greeted by the rest of the Rainbowside and everyone else involved with tournament preparation. Nicola happened to be there, but everyone addressed her as Cole Seahart. She gave a tip to Lucia that she must always remain with Kaito at all times because something special may happen. Lucia was curious to see what Nicola meant but she did plan to stay with Kaito as much as she can anyway. During the meeting, discussing about the tournament and their opponents, Kaito asked Lucia to provide some entertainment by singing and playing the guitar, in which everyone began to dance their usual beach bum dance with each other around the bonfire._

_A few hours passed and everyone were heading to their bus converters and their sleeping bags to sleep. For Lucia, she was about to change to her sleepwear when Kaito visited the bus converter where she was located. He asked her if she would like to walk around the beach with him for a little bit. As always, Lucia accepted his invitation and with her usual clothes, the two strolled along the shore, not caring where they may end up._

_After their slightly long stroll, they stumbled upon a cave. Kaito took her by the hand and dashed right inside that cave. With a flashlight on his other hand, they proceeded inside. He had a box of matches then and began to light up the candles that surrounded the cave. Once there was light, Lucia gasped in surprise that the cave they ended up was none other than the S-Cube Cave. It was the same cave where the two, as Leolani and Kaikane seven years ago, ended up when they saved themselves from the huge Dainami-Oni wave attack. It was also the same cave where she and Hippo happened to discover, which also provided them with some facts and answers regarding their family's legacy and their connection to the Rainbowside._

"_This cave... I can't believe that I would ever see this cave again..." Lucia reacted as Kaito finished lighting up the candles. "This was where... where I met... my first love... my only love..."_

_Kaito walked behind Lucia and slowly placed his arms around her waist. Then, he slowly cuddled himself against her, with his lips close to her ear. He whispered to her: "I know. This is where my first love and I ended up after that Dainami-Oni attack... my only love..."_

_Right then, Lucia began to shiver. It was not because she was nervous, but the very chilly breeze began to blow through the entrance of the cave. "I'm... I'm cold..."_

_In response, Kaito turned her around to him and both sat down on the sand against the rocky wall of the cave. There, he held her tighter to him. He whispered on her ear: "Hold on to me... we'll both be warm like this..."_

_As Lucia rested her head against his chest, she felt her eyes becoming wet with tears again. This time, she knew she could not hide her knowledge that the one she had been crushing on for the longest time happened to be the boy she rescued from the nighttime Dainami-Oni wave seven years ago. Because of this scenery and this moment, she began to finally open herself._

"_I love you, Kaito..." She softly murmured her simple confession to him._

"_What was that, Lucia?" Slowly they withdrew from each other. Kaito found Lucia crying again._

"_I love you so much, Kaito. I know I'm going crazy right now and this is probably something you'd never want to hear from me, but I can't help myself. I can't help the fact that my heart kept reminding me that you're the boy I've rescued those seven years ago. It kept reminding me that it was you who I first sang an original song together. It kept reminding me... that you're Kaikane..."_

"_Lucia..." Kaito's expression was stunned to hear what Lucia was babbling right now, but continued to listen._

"_I know what you're going to say. I know you'll say that I've became delusional because we've been hanging out with each other for the longest time--- the fact that we're even partners in tandem surfing... the fact that we always talked to each other in person, on the phone, heck, even through emails too... the fact that we always have our nighttime beach walks... our nighttime beach hangouts at our own spot... and ever since we started talking for the first time you have been to Pearl Waters more frequently on Fridays because it's OC-5 night... and how you're there just because you wanted to see me... I can't deny my feelings anymore, Kaikane! Everything that you do really reminded me so much of the boy who touched my heart those seven years ago that I was convinced that you and that boy had to be the same person." Quickly she wiped off her tears and continued. "Oh Kaito, I know you're completely weirded out by me now. I know you may not have the same feelings for me as I do with you, but as a friend I just can't lie to you anymore. I'm deeply in love with you and I just can't help it. If I pretend, then I would be just lying. I don't know what else to say anymore except that I don't want this summer to end with us being apart and as strangers again. Kaikane or not, Kaito... either way... I can't stand ending this summer becoming apart from you and then live the rest of my school year not being with you... I may probably just end up killing myself rather than knowing the fact that the one I've loved all my life doesn't feel the same way and just don't have a care for me at all..."_

_At that scene, Lucia wept as if she had just lost a loved one to death. Moments later, she felt gentle fingers on her face, wiping those tears out. At the same time the boy hushed the teary-eyed girl. As the tears continued to fall, the boy took her closer to him and at an instant, he began to kiss her on her cheeks, kissing those tears away._

"_Kaito..."_

_The surfer boy whispered his answer to her. "Lucia... you don't need to cry like this. It's just that... I've been lying to you too..."_

_Lucia's eyes opened wide in shock and answered. "What... do you mean...?"_

_Right at that moment, Kaito leaned closer to her slowly, up until he felt his lips touching hers. Afterwards, he closed his eyes and kissed her slowly, tenderly, gently. Lucia felt the pure warmth of his lips on hers and surrendered herself to him. She wrapped her arms around him, as the two continued their first kiss (seven years later, that is...)._

_Kaito withdrew slowly from her and she found him giving a small smile to her. While he caressed her cheeks, wiping those tears away, he said to her: "I had a major feeling that you were Leolani--- all the way back a few years ago when you and I ended up in the same homeroom class for the first time. I knew all along that it was you..."_

"_But... if you knew then..."_

_Kaito closed his eyes and sighed deeply. "I'm sorry I made you wait like that and I'm sorry I didn't act right away... I wanted to talk to you again the first time I saw you at our first homeroom class but I was doubtful. I was doubtful that you'd be interested in me... and I was doubtful that you're truly Leolani... I was going crazy every time I see you entering the classroom. I thought that if I dated other girls that I would get over my feelings for you... but as you can see with all these one-week girlfriend stuff... I never got over you."_

"_Oh Kaikane...Kaito..."_

_At that point, he placed his arms around her again, gently pulling her to him, and with only inches away, he placed his forehead against hers and said in a soft voice: "I've never stopped loving you, Leolani. When we were separated the day after the accident I never stopped thinking about you. Before the beginning of the summer this year I vowed to myself that I would finally open myself to you and that first day of summer when I saw you alone and trailing behind... I knew that was my chance of finally getting close to you. I took your hand... and we jumped together. But most of all, what really confirmed that you have been the girl I've been missing for so long was when you first sang a song in public with Rina Touin--- even if it was a crazy surfing song. I guess I can say that you have a singing voice that helped me truly identify that it was really you. Sure, your voice is a lot more mature now, but it still had that fresh, young voice that was still music to my ears."_

"_Kaito... I'm so sorry I wasn't brave enough to come up to you and speak to you... I feel so bad that all this time that you were also waiting for me... like how I was waiting for you..."_

"_Well... we're not so shy anymore, are we, Leolani?" Lucia slowly shook her head, flashing a shy smile to her. "It means... I can love you freely... anytime, anyhow..."_

"_I love you so much, Kaikane..."_

"_I love you too, Leolani..." Once again, the two found their lips once more. This time, the kiss was more prolonged that lead the two lying down on the sand with Kaito above Lucia. Once they withdrew from each other again after a long moment, he whispered one single word right at his new found love._

"_Yo..." _

*********

"Yo!" Kaito called out to Lucia, which he noticed that she found herself daydreaming with a piece of her food still remaining on her spoon and never moved directly in to her mouth.

"Eek!" Lucia shrieked, snapping back to reality once more. "Um... uh..."

Kaito snickered, shaking his head, and made his remark. "You haven't lifted your spoon to your mouth for the last five minutes, girl. I thought you choked to death in peace or something. It's like one of those highly-concentrated yoga meditation stuff and stuff like that..."

"Nooo...." Lucia sighed sadly and deeply and quickly ate the food from the spoon. "It was such a beautiful moment too..."

"'Beautiful moment'?" Kaito attempted to keep himself from chortling but the rather strange scene was a lot stronger in amusement than his own attempt. "Right... that sure must be a really beautiful _daydream _you've had if it made you all silent and quiet and all frozen for five minutes---"

"Now you're making fun of me..." Lucia frowned. "It was such a beautiful--- and important--- moment to me!"

"Now I'm curious what the hell you were daydreaming about..." Kaito relaxed himself against the beach blanket, lying down and with his arms behind his head. "Indulge me."

"Well... it's just that..." Lucia gritted her teeth, thinking of a good vision in place of what she actually daydreamed about. "It's... it's embarrassing..."

"Embarrassing? Now I'm really interested." Kaito continued to grin while gazing directly at Lucia. "Let me guess... I'm in there... am I right...?"

"Oh God..." Lucia lowered her head, feeling a lot more embarrassed about. "Okay... yeah.. you were in it..."

"Hell yeah!" Kaito got up quickly and pumped his fist high. "I wonder what makes a daydream that has me in it so special and important?"

"I... uh..." The two fell silent, with Lucia completely lost in her own words while Kaito began to contemplate.

Few minutes later, Kaito flashed a bigger grin and said to her: "We hung out at the beach where no one was around... and we found a hot spot... and we hooked up, right? And uhh... things got really hot and heavy between us that we ended up doing _somethin' somethin' _this and that, right?"

"Are you crazy, Kaito? What kind of girl do you think I am? Why would I... do that with you?"

"Aw... you mean we didn't _do it _in your daydream?" Kaito pouted and sighed sadly in a teasing manner. "I guess you were daydreaming about the tournament then..."

"Uh... right! That's it! It was so blissful--- we won first place at the tandem surfing contest and Nijibe became the overall champion! Yeah!"

"Oh, that's a shame..." Kaito sighed, still in a teasing manner. "It's just a daydream, after all."

"You're so mean, Kaito..." Lucia sighed sadly as she began to clean up the dishes back in to the picnic basket. I_f only you'd understand why... Then again... maybe tonight isn't the right time... _"I mean... you'll never understand how important that moment was to me... so important that it brings tears to my eyes, you know?"

Kaito gave a blank stare at the now teary-eyed girl and gave a slight frown. "Okay, Lucia. Now you're just being weird."

Lucia remained silent, not saying anything else, leaving Kaito baffled with what just happened. Without question, he proceeded to help her clean up the area. Just as Lucia reached for the last plastic container, Kaito aimed for the same item, but instead he ended up holding her hand which already reached the container first. Without realizing it, both teens felt their cheeks flushing red.

"Um... I got it..." Lucia broke her silence, then followed with a soft chortle.

"Uh, right..." Kaito quickly removed his hand from hers as she packed the final item in the basket. Once she was finished, the surfer boy broke the silence after he waited for her to finish. "I'm... sorry... about earlier."

Lucia gasped in surprise to hear Kaito apologizing for his behavior earlier. "Kaito..."

"Uh... yeah... I didn't mean to make fun of you, Lucia." The boy sighed and lowered his head at the same time. "I guess after months of dating girls for a week that... I still can't understand why girls take the smallest of things so seriously sometimes... I guess I'm just one of those guys who'll never understand..."

"No... I'm sorry..." Lucia sighed deeply and lowered her head. "You must probably think that I'm a total airhead for daydreaming like that from out of nowhere, huh..."

Kaito began to scratch his head gently, thinking of a response. "Uh... well, everybody daydreams. Surfers too, you know. Uh... how to describe it... it's like... when a surfer enters his _alchemy hour _once during or after his most amazing surf he ever rode in his surfing life, you know...?"

"_Alchemy hour_, huh..." Lucia murmured that particular surfer term she continued to hear from Kaito and his fellow surfers in the Rainbowside. Somehow with that term, she began to change the subject. "I can't wait for the tournament to come, Kaito. I mean... I know I just daydreamed from out of nowhere but... uh... can't you feel how... totally amped I am? I mean, it's not even first day of the tournament and I can feel this... spirit taking over me... like I'd just grab someone's board and get out there and tame the waves with the wildest ride in my entire life! And not just that--- it gets a lot more... _gnarly_... when I'm riding that board with a special someone with me... you know, that kinda thing..."

"I know." Kaito gave a gentle smile at her. "I feel the same way." He lied down on his beach blanket with his arms behind his head, closing his eyes .

Lucia returned the same smile and then bowed her head to him as her way of appreciation. "Thank you... for giving me a chance to serve you lunch... even if it's just for this day..."

Kaito opened one eye and gazed at the girl who was facing him right then. "No... thank you for making me the best lunch I've ever had." Slowly he stood up and slowly bent to her, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Kaito..." Lucia could not help but to blush and her heart began to thump rapidly. _I guess... that would be a first kiss... even if it's not a real lover's kiss..._

The boy cleared his throat and changed the subject. "Oh... aside from getting ready for the festival tonight... doing anything right now?"

"Oh!" Lucia shrieked and softly chuckled, still blushing from that kiss on the cheek. "Well... yeah. I'm gonna rehearse some more with OC-5 at Pearl Waters... usual place. You?"

Kaito shrugged his arms. "I dunno... hang out with the dudes, I guess."

"Well, since you seem a little nervous about the media tailing you and all, why not you and the dudes come over Pearl Waters and watch us rehearse? Maybe we can even use this time to rehearse our little performance routine for the final song of the surf bands contest."

"Heh... I guess we can use the extra time to practice something that's non-surfing related. Luckily for you and me, we don't have to dance to that stupid routine."

"It's too bad, Kaito. So many people who knew you well kept saying that you're really good--- and sexy--- at dancing. I haven't seen you dance, Kaito..." Lucia gave a slight pout on her expression.

"Yeah? Well, I haven't seen you dance either, so we're even. I ain't dancing unless you dance, babe!"

"Aw..." Lucia pouted again as the two stood up from their spot and climbed down to the sand. Once they got there, they spotted a group of beach bums dancing to a rather mellow beach tune that got many of the younger beach kids' attention and gathered around in a circle to see others dance to various beach pop tunes. "Hey--- look at that!"

Kaito knew what was going on at that moment and began to back away from the crowd. "Uh... I just remembered... I need to meet up with my twin and talk about our surf gear for the tournament---"

"Hey! You're not going anywhere, Kaito--- let's go see! Come on!" Quickly she dragged Kaito by the wrist as they came closer to the crowd. Once they got there, they spotted the rest of the Rainbowside and those involved in the tournament right there.

Hanon, who was bobbing her head along with the music being played on the radio, spotted Lucia and Kaito nearby and waved at them. "Hey, you two! Get over here!"

"Dammit--- I don't wanna be here!" Kaito continued with his complaints but it was too late. They already reached Hanon, with the short-haired girl giggling.

"You guys are not gonna believe this! Right now, there's these people from the movie industry who are doing open auditions for an upcoming beach and surf-related movie! They're looking for _real _surfers and beach bums and everything to be in the movie, so they're having this dance contest for that movie! Nagisa and I are gonna audition---"

"Oooh!" Lucia exclaimed happily and giggled along with Hanon. "Really? They're looking for _real _surfers and beachsters? I wanna try out!" She turned to Kaito immediately and gently shook his arm. "We should try out and be in the movie, Kaito!"

"Uh... no..." Kaito lowered his eyes, looking suspicious at this entire scene. "I ain't dancin'!"

"But we have to if we're gonna be in the movie!"

"Hell no! Who says I wanna be in a movie?"

From behind, Kaito heard a very familiar voice calling for him. "Yo, Kaito! What the hell do you mean by 'no'?"

Kaito turned to see Gaito and Sara staring directly at him. "What the hell--- you mean the two of you are gonna be doing this stupid dance thing and be in that movie?"

"Well yeah!" Sara exclaimed with a wink on her face. "See, we figured that if majority of the extras at the beach scenes are all from Nijibe, our town will certainly at the map!"

Kaito shook his head and shrugged his arms. "Dude, why wasn't I told this?"

"Uh, let's see..." From their side, Masahiro and Rina appeared, with Masahiro interrupting them. "Right after the press conference, there were two agents from the Tokyo movie industry who wanted to talk to you, but what did you do? You ignored them!"

"Uh, dudes, we don't have time to audition and be in the movie--- I was hoping we'd head back to Pearl Waters so we can see OC-5 rehearse. Don't tell me you two are in it too!"

Rina nodded with a smile on her face. "Well, it looks fun. I know I'm not really in to this stuff but this is one of those once in a lifetime things, so I figured... oh what the hell... why not?"

"Damn, you dudes are total sellouts, man..." Kaito shook his head with his arms crossed while Lucia sighed sadly, knowing Kaito was not interested in auditioning as a movie extra for an upcoming major movie.

"Kaito, you're no fun." Hanon frowned with her arms crossed. "I mean, this is our chance to actually become more famous way before the tournament that all the people coming to the tournament is gonna be rooting for us!"

"Well that's the thing, Houshou. I'm _already _famous!" Kaito snickered as he turned to Lucia. "You got OC-5 rehearsals now. Let's go."

"Aw..." Lucia sighed sadly even more and turned to the rest of their tournament teammates. "Sorry, guys. I'll see you guys later."

As Kaito and Lucia headed back to the street, the rest of the tribe turned to each other with confused faces. Nagisa was the first to break the silence. "Whoa... since when did Kaito become all _bossy _with Lucia? It's like he's one of those overprotective boyfriends who don't want their girlfriends to get involved with happenings they're not comfortable with...?"

"Hee hee..." Hanon giggled softly and winked at Nagisa. "I think Kaito is already portraying as Lucia's new _boyfriend_!"

"Uh, Hanon, I don't think that's the case with Kaito." Rina contradicted Hanon's theory. "Kaito just despises dancing..."

"Noo..." Hanon quickly stuck her tongue out at Rina. "Maybe Kaito hasn't confessed to her yet verbally and all, but I think he's hinting to Lucia that he's falling in L-O-V-E! I mean, think about it! If a dude has a sweet, nice girl like Lucia for a girlfriend he'd worry that some other perverted dudes around would be staring at her if she ever danced here, which also means that the boy has no plans on sharing his girl to other dudes. That translates as Kaito wants Lucia all to himself!"

"Jeez... you and your little theories, Hanon." Rina shook her head. "I just think he doesn't like to dance! After all, it'd look rather uncool to see such a stud surfer dude like Kaito make a fool of himself if he ever danced with a crowd like this---"

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that, Rina." Masahiro joined the conversation, clearing his throat at the same time. "According to the chicks who used to flirt with us Rainbowside dudes in the past, they all think that Kaito's dancing was pretty sexy. You should have seen their group dances with him being the only guy."

Rina glinted her eyes towards Masahiro with suspicion in her mind. "So, you dudes think that Kaito's a sexy dancer?"

"Hey!" Nagisa exclaimed in defiance. "We're dudes--- we don't look at other dudes that way!"

"Heh... I rest my case." Rina crossed her arms with a snicker on her face when an adult male voice called out for two names.

"Let's see... Rina and Masahiro... it's your turn to dance!" Rina quickly placed her arm around Masahiro's and the two gave thumbs up to the rest of the tribe.

Moments later, Kaito and Lucia arrived at the dining area of Pearl Waters. Because the beachside dining hangout was closed due to the festival, they found Nicola at the table with two adult men, having a meeting. They did not have time to say hello to her and did not want to disturb the meeting, therefore they headed to the stairs behind the juice and coffee bar to reach the rehearsal room. Once they reached the door, they peeked through the soundproof window, where they spotted Hippo, Taro, Rihito, Maki, Taki, and Michal inside. The three band members were having their meeting while the audience were also chatting themselves.

Lucia knocked on the door to let the people inside know that they have arrived. She turned to Kaito and asked: "So, now that your dudes want to be in that movie, what are you gonna do?"

"I guess I'll hang out in the rehearsal room for awhile... if you don't mind." Kaito gave a slight grin, which made Lucia smile at the same time.

"Glad to have you watch us! We could use some musical critique after all!"

"Well, since your keyboardist friend Rina is trying to get in to that movie thing with Masahiro, I don't mind substituting for her."

_Ah, that's right! Kaito is musically inclined. He can play any instrument including the piano! _Lucia nodded in agreement. "I'm sure we'd be happy to have you substitute for Rina for the time being."

"Cool!" Lucia proceeded and opened the door once Taro and Rihito waved at her. "Hey guys! We're here!"

"Good!" Rihito grinned once he spotted Kaito next to her. "Since Rina's busy doing that dance audition thing for some movie, we could use a keyboardist for the time being. Nice timing, Kaito!"

"I figured you'd need a fifth member, Rihito." Kaito crossed his arms with a grin on his face. Right at that moment, Michal sneaked behind him and embraced him to her. "Hey!"

"Nice to see you again, Kaito. I was going to ask you to sit with me while we watch my brother and the band play, but I guess they need your musical skills since the fifth member isn't present."

"Oh... uh... sure thing." Kaito nervously grinned as Lucia headed at the center where her slick and new ice blue Fender Jaguar was waiting at its stand. "Not today, Michal. Sorry."

"I know." Michal released him and placed her arms behind her, giving her the most innocent smile ever. "Well, have fun, Kaito! I'll be watching you right here!"

"Uh, thanks." Kaito shrugged his arms and headed to the center where Rina's keyboard was all set up.

Hours passed and it was only an hour left for everyone to get ready for the Nijibe Summer Festival. The festival itself already begun at five-thirty in the afternoon, but many of the festival booths were not opened at that time and very few people were present. It was five forty-five in the afternoon and the plan was that the entire Rainbowside will be taking Masahiro's bus converter (with Taro being the driver again) and drive at the downtown area, where the festival was taking place.

Hanon made her way to dress herself up as the typical sexy beach babe, with a sea blue bikini top with crossed straps around her neck and a light blue denim shorts freshly ripped from one of her old pair of jeans. She also placed a red _hibiscus _flower on her right, indicating that she was single and definitely looking. Rina appeared on a spaghetti-strapped green and white-striped top and dark green short boardshorts with a _lei _of purple plumeria flowers. She also had a pink plumeria on her left ear, indicating that her heart already belonged to Masahiro.

The rest of the gang were already at the dining room, waiting for the ladies to get ready. Hanon checked her watch, waiting for Lucia to come out of her room. "Lucia--- the dudes are here! Hurry up!"

"I'm coming! Just... hold on!" Lucia's voice was heard through the door as Hanon continued to tap her foot.

"Jeez... you don't want Kaito to get all mad and everything, Lucia. I mean that guy is very punctual and he has very little patience when it comes to dates!"

"Hanon, just chill." Rina hushed her impatient friend. "This is Lucia's first date with Kaito. Of course she would do everything she can to make herself very presentable. After all, she still has her heart set on winning Kaito's love, right?"

"Well... I suppose..." Hanon sighed and crossed her arms. "I worry about Lucia a lot, you know. I mean... she's like... the most _naïve _person I have ever met when it comes to boys and dating! And of all the first dates in her life--- it had to be with a total stud muffin surfer named Kaito Doumoto."

"That's because she never actually dated before, Hanon?" Rina answered with a slight sarcastic question. "You and Kaito are pretty experienced with dating already. Tonight would actually be my second official date with Masahiro. But Lucia? This is her debut, you know. So let's all cheer her on, alright?"

Right at that moment, Lucia's door opened, with Lucia slowly stepping out shyly. She donned out a cherry blossom pink-colored spaghetti-strapped _muumuu _dress that was just above her knees, with red _hibiscus _flower prints all over her dress' fabric. She also wore a white _puka shell _necklace around her neck and red flower barrette clips on her hair. Hanon wanted her to wear a plumeria flower on her ear so the three of them would match, but Lucia refused to wear any.

"Oh come on, Lucia! Where's the flower on the ear?"

Lucia shook her head. "It's wrong to wear a flower on your ear when you're not even sure which ear you're going to put it on. I mean, if I wear it on my right, it's only drawing guys to flirt with me... and I'm not interested in other guys. If I wear it on my left, Kaito may get the wrong idea."

"Lucia, you're in Japan, not in Hawaii. No idiot Japanese dude would know that the flowers on the ear indicate your marital status." Hanon made her statement, still insisting for her to wear a flower.

"Uh, Hanon, you forget that Kaito was born and raised in Hawaii. He'd know _exactly _what those flowers on the ears mean." Rina reminded Hanon of Kaito's knowledge about Hawaii and its culture as a defense to Lucia's excuse to not wear a flower on her ear.

"Agh! You're right, Rina! I forgot about that!" Hanon sighed deeply then gazed towards Lucia. "Well, I guess you're right. You still look pretty without it."

"And I gotta say--- you do look beautiful in that dress, Lucia." Rina gave her personal compliment at her close friend's attire. "Kaito's really going to fall head over heels for you once he sees you in that getup."

"Heck yeah!" Hanon cheered happily with a wink on her eye. "Kaito is so going to flip over you big time! He'd even get on his knees, begging for your love! He's going to _soooo _confess his serious, undying love for you, Lucia!"

Lucia slightly blushed, but shook her head afterwards. "No... I don't think he's that type of guy who would just drop on his knees and confess his love, simply because she was wearing a dress."

"What?" Hanon shrieked with a frown on her face. "Lucia, stop thinking negative like that! Okay, so maybe there may _not _be any sweet, romantic moments that's going to happen with Kaito tonight, but even so, the word _date _has so many meanings! Guys just don't ask girls on a date if the guy isn't even interested in her, okay? It'd be just plain _hanging out_! But Kaito asked you on a date that night. Everyone heard you two... and you've been looking forward to this particular night too!"

"Well..." Lucia swallowed her nervousness and then nodded her head. "Okay. Well, whatever may happen tonight, I just hope nothing embarrassing happens between us."

"Now that's the spirit, Lucia!" Hanon nudged her on the side.

"Alright, girls. Let's head downstairs now." Rina lead the two down the stairs, where everyone else had been waiting.

Once they reached downstairs, they greeted the others who had been waiting. Right at that time, the same two men whom Nicola was having a conversation with earlier came out from her office. When they got outside, Nicola followed them from behind. The three had smiles on their faces as they shook hands.

"Thank you for your consideration!" One of the men said. "We're looking forward to working with you once we get the concept completed."

"Thank you for stopping by!" Nicola returned the thanks with a humble smile.

"You have a very beautiful establishment here, Miss Nanami. It's absolutely perfect. Like my colleague here, we'll be in touch."

"Looking forward to it." The three adults waved at each other as the two men exited the restaurant. Nicola gazed at the others, who were all ready to go. "Well then. Shall we go?"

Lucia approached Nicola with a worried look on her face. "Nicola, who were those men?"

Hippo interrupted the conversation and answered for Nicola. "Relax, Sis. They're screenwriters."

"Screen... writers?" Lucia stared blankly at Hippo, filled with question marks all over her mind. "What would they be writing on the screen? And what screen are they talking about? TV screen? Computer screen?"

From behind, Kaito laughed and joined in the conversation. "You really are naïve, Lucia! I can't believe it! 'What would they be writing on the screen?'... what the heck kind of a question is that?"

"What are you laughing about, Kaito? Let me remind you that not everyone knows what a _screenwriter _is, you know!" Lucia frowned at her date, glaring at him at the same time.

"Hey, chill, Lucia!" Kaito stuck his tongue in return. "I'll just assume you're not very much of a movie person... or a TV person as a matter of fact."

"A screenwriter is a person who writes scripts for TV, the movies, video, stuff like that. That person is responsible for writing the entire plot and then extend it to include dialogues for all the actors and instructions for the film crew or the TV crew." Hippo freely explained to Lucia the definition of a _screenwriter_. "Those two guys are one of the famous screenwriters in the Tokyo movie industry and they plan to write a musical movie about the surfing scene and beach life. They're searching around places and establishments to see which location they can use where they set the movie on. They got tipped by some dude at the press conference or something about Pearl Waters, so they took a visit here."

Lucia gasped with excitement, hands on her cheeks. "Oh wow--- you mean Pearl Waters is gonna be part of a movie? Is it connected to that dance rehearsal at the beach earlier today where everybody here tried out or something?"

"Oh hell no..." Kaito sighed and lowered his head. "Not this stupid movie thing again. I should have known..."

"You got that right, Lucia!" Hanon answered right away, nudging her on the side. "See, you and Kaito missed out! You could have had a chance to be in this upcoming movie!" She then turned to the rest of the OC-5 band. "See, you dudes missed out earlier! What the heck were you doing at that time?"

"They were rehearsing for the tournament, what else?" Rina answered with a sigh. She then turned to Kaito and smiled. "Thanks for covering up for me during the rehearsal. I never figured you know how to play the keyboards too."

"We're a musically inclined family, Touin," Gaito answered from behind. "Kaito and I—- we were future musical virtuosos when we were little. Surfing back then was just a side hobby for us. We were specially trained in different types of classical instruments from the piano to the violin to a bit of woodwinds."

"Yeah, whatever." Kaito shrugged his arms. "Hey, glad I can help a bit, Rina. You dudes got some awesome gigs for the surf bands contest. You'll win for sure."

"Well then!" Nicola interrupted everyone, clearing her throat. "Time's a-wastin'! Let's head out!"

About fifteen minutes later, the official tournament team's bus converter parked at the parking area designated for trucks, trailers, and buses. Once they found their parking spot, Nicola stood up from the front passenger seat and walked at the back to get everyone's attention. "Alright, listen up, people! You know what to do, right? Be back here at ten-thirty sharp, and when I say sharp, I _mean _sharp!"

"You heard the boss!" Hanon immediately raised her fist, confirming what Nicola reminded them. "Back here at the bus converter at ten-thirty _sharp _or else!"

"Hanon..." Nicola called out Hanon as the teen girl quickly fall silent and grinned at her boss. "Now, before you step out this bus, make sure you got your stuff with you because Taro will be locking this bus converter and none of you would be able to get in unless you find Taro. Check to make sure your cellphones are charged and in your pockets and purses and make sure you call me, Maki, Aunt Taki here, Taro, or Rihito and let us know your status, alright? In that way no one gets lost once we head to the S-Cube."

Everyone confirmed of Nicola's assignment to them as they make their way outside the bus converter. Once they were outside and Taro locked the doors with the key, the group split from each other in to pairs and in groups (for those who did not have a date). Kaito and Lucia quickly left the scene immediately, with Kaito taking Lucia by the hand. The official couples, Gaito and Sara, as well as Masahiro and Rina, went to two different directions before they ever get distracted by unwanted parties. Nagisa hoped he would hang out with Hanon alone, but due to Hanon's request, decided to have a _double date_. As a result, Seira and Hippo were dragged along with them. The others left divided in to two groups--- the _single teens _and the adults.

At this time, Kaito quickly went through the crowd hurriedly, with Lucia being dragged along. Once they found an open area where there was no one they knew around, Lucia breathed heavily to catch her breath. "Okay... now we're alone."

Lucia coughed for air and lifted her head. "What's the rush, Kaito?"

Kaito faced Lucia, now holding both her hands to his. He whispered his words to her: "I'm sorry... I didn't get a chance to say this to you before we left, but..."

Lucia chuckled softly, trying to keep her heart thumping at a calmer, normal rate. "What is it, Kaito?"

"You look really beautiful tonight."

"Well, I... thank you..." Lucia smiled happily with slight blushing on her cheeks. "Nicola gave it to me from my 13th birthday. I'm surprised it still fits. But Kaito... you're always as handsome as you'll ever be. Even the rest of your fan girls say so too!"

"Ugh..." Kaito frowned immediately after hearing the latter, then changed the subject. "Never mind me. I'm worried about you. With that beautiful getup you've got there's bound to have some idiot goons drooling at you as we pass by, so..."

Lucia decided to be brace and placed both her arms around his right arm. "I promise I'll stay with you always, Kaito."

"You'd better." Kaito chuckled as the two walked through the festival scene side by side. Though they seemed to be just two best friends hanging out and having fun, to Lucia, it was definitely something more.

_Gosh... Mom... Dad... maybe you two are right... maybe Kaito--- Kaikane--- and I really are meant to be together... I mean... he didn't even get mad when I have my arms around his. It's like... it's like... he really wants me to cling on to him. _She could feel her cheeks blushing again and her heart beating rapidly once again. _Oh man--- we're like boyfriend and girlfriend already even without confessing to each other... _

"Yo! Check it!" Kaito suddenly broke the silence with an excited expression, which startled Lucia from her inner thoughts.

"Oh! Um... what is it?" Lucia answered quickly, swallowing her nervousness at the same time.

"You see that? They got one of those thrill rides and the wheel and all that!"

Lucia smiled happily, even though she was slightly horrified by majority of the thrill rides, most especially the ones that roll upside down. On the other hand, if they do end up riding one of those thrill rides, it would still be blissful for her. After all, the boy of her dreams was standing next to her.

"Yeah! Let's go! You pick which ride!" Lucia nervously made her suggestion while trying to keep her teeth still from gritting in fear.

"Hm, you sure, Lucia? I'm up to anything but I dunno about you."

"Oh... I'm fine! I'll go wherever you go, Kaito!" _Oh man, Lucia... why on earth are you lying to him? Why won't you just tell him that you're sorta horrified with thrill rides that go up and down and upside down...? Oh man... I'd feel like a total loser if I tell him that..._

"Are you really sure?" Kaito showed a concerned look at her. "I mean, I'm not going to ride something you don't feel comfortable riding..."

_Good idea, Kaito! Let's go ride the carousel over there! _"Yup, I'm very sure! Let's ride one of those inverted roller coasters!" Lucia immediately shook her head for giving him the wrong response. _Dangit, why can't I just admit it to him... oh man..._

Kaito gave a slight suspicion at his date and shrugged his arms. "Alright then. Your call." The two teens walked through the long lines until they found the one with shorter lines. Once Lucia spotted the sign, she shrieked in horror right when she read what the sign said.

"_Dainami... Oni... Free Fall?!_" Lucia read the ride's name slowly, which even made her become more afraid than ever. "Oh no..."

"Ha ha... don't say I didn't warn you, Lucia!" Kaito chuckled, covering his mouth with his hand to prevent himself from laughing some more.

Lucia began to defend herself, knowing she would get irritated every time Kaito would laugh at her. "Hey--- the name's intimidating but I can take on any thrill ride you would throw at me!"

"That's what I want to hear." Kaito snickered and took her by the hand as they fall in line from behind. "This ride's gonna help us survive the _Dainami-Oni _in case it attacks us during competition."

"Oh no!" Lucia shrieked in horror, placing her hands on her face. "I forgot about the possibility of the _Dainami-Oni _wave phenomenon coming at our beach during the tournament..."

Kaito patted Lucia on the shoulder and whispered. "Lucia, just think about this ride as our tandem ride. Just close your eyes and imagine yourself on our tandem board with me holding on to you. The only thing we need to worry during that wild ride is we make it forward back to the shore while the swell chases us, pulling us back. You're on the race against the waves."

"Um... okay... I think I can do that..." Lucia quickly closed her eyes, trying to imagine everything Kaito murmured to her. Though she could still remember his words, she seemed to be having trouble visualizing the imaginary wild scene. "Um... I don't know, Kaito... I can't seem to visualize us riding the _Dainami-Oni _for some reason."

"Moron..." Kaito stuck his tongue at her. "I said for you to close your eyes when we get to the ride, not close your eyes while waiting for the ride!"

"Oh! Um... I knew that!" Lucia chuckled nervously, then lowered her head and sighed in worry. _Oh no... I think I'm going to die before I can even face the real thing later next week... Dang, what on earth have I gotten myself in to...?_

Moments later it was their turn to have their thrill ride at this rather extreme-leveled _Dainami-Oni Free Fall_ roller coaster ride. What made things worse for Lucia was that Kaito decided to sit at the front row. Lucia reluctantly followed Kaito from behind.

"W-why are we sitting at the front row, Kaito...?" Lucia's voice reached in to a small high-pitch, knowing of her terrifying roller coaster fears.

"Why?" Kaito snickered. "You're the front-seat driver of the tandem surfing team, girl. Of course we take the front row."

"But... you wouldn't be behind me..." Lucia gulped, and as the operator adjusted their belts and their security mechanism so none of them would fall to their deaths, she quickly grabbed on to the metal bar and quickly closed her eyes.

"But I'll be next to you, Lucia. You got nothing to worry about." Kaito winked, trying to make sure that regardless of what may happen in this crazy ride that things will be fine at the end.

_Okay... so... you're in this nightmare roller coaster ride with the surfing world's hottest champion surfer... and as a temporary surfer of sorts, this should be nothing... right? Right?_

Immediately, the cabin carrying twenty riders began to nudge slightly and then moved forward to the wildest roller coaster ride this summer festival has ever seen. Right as the cabin slowly and gently climbed up the rail, Lucia immediately screamed.

"Lucia--- we're not even dropping down yet! Calm down!" Kaito hushed her. "Screaming already? Jeez..."

Right when they reached the top, Kaito whispered quickly before they even drop down. "Now... close your eyes and imagine yourself riding the wildest surf you've ever ridden in your life..."

Lucia quickly shut her eyes tight as the cabin was released, dropping right down the rails and then some more.

A few minutes later, the ride was over and Lucia passed out after that rather thrilling ride. Her passing out made the personnel panic, but Kaito assured them that she was going to be alright. With the help of the personnel, Kaito carried Lucia from the cabin and placed her arm around his neck, standing her up. Slowly they headed out from the ride and once they reached the surface, Kaito slowly carried her all the way past the waiting line. Just as they were about to reach the end of the line, they were spotted immediately by familiar faces.

"Yo! Kaito!" Kaito turned and spotted Hanon, Nagisa, Kaito, and Seira right at the end. "How was the ride, dude?" Nagisa asked curiously.

"Totally... uhh... _gnarly_, Nagisa..." Kaito answered, looking rather confused.

"Eek!" Hanon shrieked with worry. "What happened to Lucia?!" She dashed to where Kaito was standing and gazed at the passed out Lucia.

"Relax, Houshou, she just passed out." Kaito answered briefly. "The ride must be too intense for her to even keep her conscience awake, I guess."

Hippo sighed and shook his head. "Let me guess, Kaito... she said she can brave any thrill ride just so she can impress you, right?"

"Well, I sorta had a hunch that she's scared at thrill rides that I even opted to ride a safer ride, but..."

"Thought so." Hippo shook his head. "Just to remind you, Kaito, Lucia's a major chicken when it comes to thrill rides. The family knows it too. She likes the simpler thrill rides, but the ones that roll upside down at eighty kilometers an hour? Her passing out only shows defeat."

"Oh no! Poor Lucia!" Seira gasped in shock. "Is she gonna be okay? I mean... this is no good... you guys are like on your first date--- and she passes out on her first date! That's just bad!"

"Bad? That's like the _worst _beyond imagination, Seira!" Hanon exclaimed with worry. "Stupid Lucia--- how could you be so stupid!"

"Hey, hey, lay off!" Kaito quickly defended Lucia with his own reaction. "Why don't you peeps have your ride? I'll take care of Lucia, alright?"

"Uh, how are you gonna wake Lucia up, Kaito?" Nagisa asked curiously. "Are you gonna kiss her like Sleeping Beauty?" The younger surfer winked at his mentor quickly while both Hanon and Seira began to giggle.

"You'd wish, shrimp! I'm out!" Right then, Kaito, with Lucia on his arms, walked out from the crowd, heading towards the restroom building.

"Aw man... are you telling me Kaito's not gonna kiss Lucia?" Hanon sighed deeply. "He's so mean..."

Hippo shrugged his arms. "Hanon, there's several ways to wake up a passed-out person aside from kissing, you know."

"Bah! You're no fun, Hippo!" Hanon stuck her tongue towards Lucia's younger brother.

"Fun? I'm just being real, yo." Hippo shook his head, ignoring Hanon until they reached their turn to the ride.

A few minutes passed and Kaito found an empty bench not too far from the restrooms, where he sat down and laid Lucia's head on to his lap so he can provide her a bit of comfort until she wakes up. He thought of having Lucia sip a bit of the Orange Rooibos Iced Tea in his thermal water bottle but decided to examine her first just to be sure that it was safe for him to make her drink so she can wake up.

Right when he laid her head on his lap, he gazed directly at her sleeping face. Just with that gaze he found his mind contemplating about seven years ago when he first met Leolani, which made him begin to caress her cheek with the tip of his thumb. The soft, velvet feel of her cheek somehow turned the young surfer dude on that he was tempted to feel more of her skin.

_Oh man... your skin is so soft... I can't help myself but to feel you..._ He closed his eyes, trying to keep himself cool about this rather awkward situation. Part of him wanted to feel more of her, but the other part warned him to stay cool. _Okay, man... calm down... it's only Lucia... don't get tempted..._

Before things became worse, he reacted quickly by reaching for his backpack. He opened it and reached a water bottle containing fresh iced water and a small face towel. Using the water he poured it on the face towel, wrung it to excrete excess water on to the floor, folded it, and began to wipe Lucia's face with it. Though the dark sky made the summer day seemed cooler, the humidity was still unbearable. Without making things awkward, this was the only solution he could think of. Hopefully with the icy cold cloth, she would finally regain her consciousness.

A few minutes later, Lucia came about, squirming and slowly shaking her head. Slowly she opened her eyes and found Kaito gazing towards her. At first, she felt blissful to see the face she loved to see everyday. "Oh Kaito..."

"Welcome back to the real world, Lucia!" Kaito snickered. Right at that point, Lucia shrieked in panic and got up.

"Oh my god.... Oh my god... what on earth just happened?!" Lucia turned around to see that they were no longer on the ride. "Oh no... this is bad! This is bad!"

Kaito chuckled softly and answered. "You know, Lucia, you should keep in mind that there is no such thing as a perfect human---"

Lucia stood in panic and turned towards Kaito with hands on the sides of her face. "Oh God---- I fainted, didn't I? Please say I didn't faint!"

Kaito shrugged his arms and said. "Sure. You didn't faint. You just happened to fall asleep while we were dropping down in full speed..."

"Oh noooo..." Lucia dropped her head immediately with a lot of guilt within her. _This is embarrassing... and right in front of Kaito too... he's surely gonna hate me for being such a chicken..._

Kaito stood up from his seat and carried his backpack. "Well, the night is still early and we just begun. You ready to go?"

Lucia slowly stood up from the bench, still feeling nervous, while wiping her face with the wet face towel. "You mean... you still wanna hang out here even after my embarrassing moment of passing out?"

"Well... yeah.. it's only six-thirty. We got until ten-thirty to be here. Why waste all that time by going home just because you passed out?"

The nervous girl sighed in relief and smiled. "Thanks for putting up with me, Kaito. I just don't want to ruin our date and all..."

"What? Just because you're scared of thrill rides and you passed out? That's nothing! Anyway, let's go do something else. We can go for a safer ride... or maybe go to those game booths... or if you're hungry we can stop by the food booths and grab something to eat. Take your pick this time."

"Well... I'm not hungry yet... maybe we can go to those game booths and play some games!"

"Let's go then!" Kaito waited until Lucia approached next to him. Together, they headed back to the booths, where the game booths were waiting for them.

As they looked through the booths, Kaito began to break the brief silence. "Lucia... to be honest with you, I got worried when you passed out."

Lucia dropped her head low and sighed. "I'm sorry I fainted, Kaito... I really am..."

"You could have told me that you're terrified of thrill rides. Reason why I got worried because of what may happen during the competition, Lucia. When we were riding that scary-ass ride--- I admit I was freaked out too at the end--- it made me feel that this must be how it feels like to ride the deadly _Dainami-Oni _wave. If we do get the _Dainami-Oni _once we go out there during the contest, I want you awake and active. I don't want you passing out while we're riding because I can assure you--- the actual wave would be a lot more horrifying than that thrill ride. If you pass out, we've got more than ninety-percent chance that we'll get wiped out before we can even begin the lifts... and worse..."

"I promise--- no--- I swear under oath in the name of my parents that I will never pass out when I ride the wildest surf during competition!" Lucia announced her oath in a loud voice, which made some of the people on the scene stare at her in confusion.

Kaito shook his head, giving a slight smile, then sighed with worry on his face again. "It's not just about preventing from wiping out, Lucia. I'm quite surprised you even mentioned your parents in that little oath of yours. I started thinking about my parents too... and knowing in spirit they don't want the two of us to meet the same fate as they did that day, so we seriously have to be best prepared."

Lucia sighed with worry, but instead, shook her head afterwards. "No--- I shouldn't be worried. It's important that we have to survive this ride if that _Dainami-Oni _thing does come for us... even if we win or not."

"Well, if that becomes the case, then yes, Lucia. Survival is priority." Kaito patted Lucia on her shoulder and grinned. "Forget about the _Dainami-Oni _wave tonight. Let's have fun, right?"

"Right!"

With the booths they picked, the two played games, which so far they only won one prize: two free festival-themed hats for the both of them at the shooting range contest. Even if they did not win as much games so far, both were still having fun. They decided to take a rest at the eatery area when a strange old man appeared before them, facing Kaito with an enthusiastic smile.

"Well--- you look like a very exceptional young man," the strange old man complimented the fourteen-year-old boy.

"Who? Me?" Kaito asked curiously with suspicion in his eyes.

"Yup. I'm talking to you, boy. You don't plan on leaving the festival yet, are you?"

"We just got here, so no!" Lucia quickly responded with a smile on her face, which Kaito glare at her for answering the truth.

The strange old man gazed at Lucia, then smiled kindly. "Well, kid, you sure got a sweet, pretty young girl here. Let me tell you--- no man leaves the festival without winning the grandest prize for their girl at the Nijibe _High Striker_ Challenge. And since you do have a solid, athletic build with the eyes only for the girl next to you, here's your chance to make special memories! Just follow me and I'll show you your challenge."

"Wow! Sounds like fun!" Lucia grinned happily. "Come on, Kaito, let's go and see what this challenge is about!"

"I don't know..." Kaito had a hesitant feeling and remained still as Lucia gently dragged him. "_High Striker_, huh? Is that what I think it is...?"

"Come on, Kaito--- please? I wanna see what this challenge is!"

Kaito sighed and surrendered. "Fine, fine... let's go."

The two teenagers followed the strange old man as they reached a particular game stall shaped like a giant bell scale. The name of the challenge as stated on the sign as _The Nijibe High Striker Challenge_. Lucia stared at the top of the tower, where she spotted a chrome-colored bell at the top with numbered measurements right below. Kaito immediately knew what this challenge was about.

"Whoa... there's no way you can climb up the tower and ring that bell..." Lucia murmured in amazement.

"Lucia, you don't climb up the tower and ring the bell. You hit the rubber stump at the bottom with a mallet as hard as you can and make the rock rise up and hit the bell at the top." Kaito chuckled while shaking his head at the same time. He turned to the strange old man and asked: "So... you are challenging me to ring the bell on top and if I do, there is a prize, right?"

"You got it, kid! A four-feet stuffed panda bear for your girl!"

While Kaito and the old man were talking about the challenge, Lucia witnessed all the other players taking the challenge with the males flexing whatever muscles they have and draw their powers to hit the rubber stump and hit the bell at the top. So far, none had succeeded, which some couples end up in arguments or the girl dumping the guy for someone who had more strength and muscle. Lucia frowned at the girls who treated their current dates for not succeeding in winning the giant stuffed panda, learning that today's girls in general were indeed shallow.

"Kaito," Lucia called for her date. "If you don't want to do this... what they call it... _High Striker _challenge thing, that's okay. No matter how strong or how weak you are physically, it makes no difference to me because you'll always be the same, no matter what. If you want, I'll try and hit that bell with the mallet! Then you can have the panda bear!"

Kaito chuckled at her response. "Oh man... you never fail to amuse me, Lucia. Why would I want that panda bear?"

"Well, because it's adorable--- and they're a part of the endangered species too! Maybe part of the money goes to the endangered species fund or something!"

The old man gasped and turned to Lucia. "Young lady, do you have an idea how heavy that mallet is? You'll break your arm before you can even hit the stump!"

Kaito approached Lucia and lifted her head up by the chin to face him. "I'd like to win you that giant stuffed panda. Just wait here and watch me win it for you..."

"Eh?" Lucia's cheeks flushed immediately, but because she also had some pride herself, she decided to protest. "But Kaito--- you'll hurt your arm before you can even hit the stump--- well, that's what that old guy said..."

"Lucia, what makes you think I'm weak? You got no faith in me or something?"

"Well, no.. it's just that..."

The old man interrupted with a grin on his face. "Now, isn't that sweet? You two are the first couple I've ever met who actually have support for each other. The past couples we had here were rather rude to each other. Where is the love there?"

"Uh--- we're not really a couple... Sir..." Lucia blushed heavily and murmured. "We're just---"

"Uh, thanks. Maybe we feel lucky today!" Kaito grinned and began to do some warm-ups by stretching his arms and shoulders. He knew he was going to take on this challenge and ring the bell at the top of the tower.

"Alright! All you boys out there, especially the ones with a cute date with them--- step right up and test your strength! Win your girl a four-feet stuffed panda!" The old man began to advertise the _High Striker Challenge _as Kaito finished his warm up with his shoulders and arms. At that point, several people, mostly males and couples, arrived. Once the females spotted Kaito, many of them began to swoon at Kaito's deadly attractive looks and form. Even if that was the case, many of them were out of towners and had no clue of Kaito's identity at first sight.

"Okay, I'm ready." Kaito reminded the old man as he began to unbutton his dark blue Hawaiian print shirt. Lucia shrieked once he began to unbutton his shirt.

"Wait--- why are you unbuttoning your---"

Kaito turned to Lucia with a confident smile on his face. "The sleeves are on the way. I gotta hit it with all my might, right?" He winked right at her as he removed his shirt and passed it to Lucia. "Hold it for me, would you?"

_Oh man... this is embarrassing... I mean... he can't just... _Lucia's face became as red as a plump tomato as she grabbed his shirt from him. _Okay... concentrate... concentrate... and uh... back him up and pretend he's wearing a shirt... _She cleared her throat immediately and began to cheer.

"Good luck, Kaito! You always rule at everything! You totally rock!" Lucia lifted her fist up high to show her support to the surfer boy she wished to be her boyfriend.

The old man stood next to Kaito and said to him: "You've got three chances here. As long as you pass the six feet mark, you are guaranteed a prize. Get the puck to hit the bell and the giant stuffed panda is yours."

"Alright! Here we go!" Kaito picked up the mallet, which to him was not as heavy as he thought. He stood right at the front of the tower, and with all the strength he possessed, he gave it all as he swung the mallet right down the rubber stump of the tower, striking it down with all his might. The puck rose up but only reached up to the six-feet mark as it dropped down at the bottom again.

"Ah, six-feet! You're guaranteed a prize, that's for sure! You got two more chances! Use them for a bigger prize, son!"

"Almost there! Almost there, Kaito! Good job!" Lucia continued to cheer while the rest of the crowd watching around the high striker area also cheered for the young surfer boy's attempts. Kaito turned his eyes towards Lucia, despite that he noticed the rest of the ladies swooning on him as always, and winked right at her. Again, Lucia blushed.

"Almost there..." Kaito mumbled to himself as he lifted the mallet again, striking the rubber stump with more strength once more. This time, the puck passed the six-feet mark, reaching up to eight feet, and dropped down again.

"Whoa--- that's the first time that someone had reached eight feet as of tonight!" The old man exclaimed excitedly. "You had just set a record--- and a bigger prize! Now you've gone one more final attempt! Now, if you don't make it to the bell, you get the prize equivalent to your highest height."

"I'm good with that prize!" Lucia called out with two thumbs up towards Kaito. The boy turned to his closest supporter and smiled confidently, nodding at the same time. "You got nothing to worry about, Kaito!"

"I know," Kaito answered her in a low, gentle voice. "But I gotta make my last chance count."

"Well, make it count no matter what! Maybe this third one would be a better prize than the eight feet prize!"

Kaito responded with another smile and faced the high striker tower again. "Okay... last chance..." He could hear the rest of the females cheering and the males pumping him up with some support. Though generally the males would be jealous, but knowing that Kaito already had _someone_, they had no worries. He gazed at the bell at the ten-feet mark and closed his eyes briefly.

_Give me strength and make this final chance count... This is for you, Lucia._ Right then, he raised up the mallet and with more strength putting in than before, he struck the rubber stump and the puck quickly rushed right up to the top, and because of the overwhelming speed, the puck immediately hit the bell and landed right back down to the surface. The bell sound rang loudly, announcing to the audience that this youthful and handsome surfer boy had mastered the high striker challenge, which gave such an overwhelming excitement among those who just witnessed this record-breaking moment.

"WE'VE GOT A WINNER!" The old man shouted in glee as he even gave an embrace to Kaito.

"Yeah! You won! You won!" Lucia clapped hurriedly and rushed to Kaito to embrace him. "I knew you totally rule, Kaito!"

"Ha ha..." Kaito chuckled humbly and placed his arms around him. "Well, the giant panda is yours."

The old man appeared before them as the two withdrew from each other. She gave Kaito his shirt back as he wore it back one and buttoned it. The old man carried the giant stuffed panda to them. "And here is your prize for your girl, kid!"

Kaito accepted the stuffed animal and handed it to Lucia. "And here you go, Lucia."

"Thanks, Kaito!" Lucia smiled happily and sneaked a quick kiss on his right cheek. Afterwards she turned to the old man. "Sir, it's my turn now, right?"

The old man stared oddly at the young teenager. "Miss... your man just won you a stuffed panda..."

"I know." Lucia answered with her usual humble smile. "I wanna try the challenge so I can win another stuffed panda--- for him this time!"

"Uh... I don't think that's a good idea, Lucia..." Kaito chuckled nervously as he placed his arm around her waist. "We gotta get going now..."

"But... Kaito, it's unfair that I get the stuffed panda and you don't. At least what I could do is try to do that high striker challenge thing so at least you get something---"

"Now, Lucia... save your energy for this week, okay? I don't want a frail and weak partner who'd faint at the end of that wild ride, okay?" Kaito still insisted as he thanked the old man. Before Lucia end up doing something crazy again that may cost her pain, he lead her away from the high striker tower.

The old man at the high striker gazed at Kaito and Lucia as they walked away. Right then he smiled to himself and turned back to those who were waiting and willing to try to ring the bell. _Ah, young love. Those two sure do know how to support each other..._

After a few more game booths and after a few more safer, family-oriented rides, both Kaito and Lucia felt hunger pains in their stomachs. They proceeded to the eatery area where they found a table to rest at. There were a huge variety of food booths in a circle, giving every hunger festival goer a variety of choices for dinner. Aside from the usual local food, there were also different types of cuisines around the world. One particular booth caught Kaito's eye.

"Well, what do you know... _Hawaiian Barbecue_..." Kaito chuckled, reading the sign at the top of the booth. "Haven't had some of that in a long time..."

Lucia found the particular booth Kaito was staring at. "Oh? I've never had _Hawaiian Barbecue_ before. How is it different from the usual barbecue we normally eat?"

"That's the best part, especially for you," Kaito smiled. "It's a fusion of Asian and American barbecue and other stuff. They're all rice plates with a side of macaroni salad, and in addition to the side, there's _poi_."

"_Poi_? What's that?"

"It's Taro paste. It's a staple food for the Polynesian islanders. It's like rice to us."

Lucia grinned excitedly. "Sounds good! I'll buy us dinner this time. You've already won so many prizes for me at the game booths already. Let me return the favor!"

Kaito knew he couldn't argue at Lucia's voluntary generosity. "Alright. Why not? Get me a _Loco Moco_ rice plate and a bowl of _saimin_... and a pina colada drink."

"What's that?" Lucia asked curiously.

"Why don't you go to the booth and find out?"

"Well, okay. Sounds good! I'll just have what you're having! I'll be back!" Lucia stood up from her seat and made her way to the booth and stood at the end of the line.

Kaito relaxed at his seat, stretching his arms to ease the pain he earned from the high striker challenge and other game booths they participated. But regardless, he had no regrets and no complaints so far. He knew to himself that this particular night would help transition his relationship with Lucia to something a lot more than just a summer friendship. He even thought that this coming tournament week was even going to make things a lot more special between the two, most especially during the tandem surfing contest. But most of all, he was very certain for sure that all this time that Lucia Nanami, all this time, was indeed the Leolani he met seven years ago. The only thing now was to determine the right time he would voluntarily reveal himself to her--- or the other way around.

As he contemplated these things, his train of thought was interrupted when he heard a familiar voice calling his name. "Hi, Kaito! I didn't expect you to see here!"

Kaito opened his eyes from his thoughts and turned to his left. "Oh, Michal. Didn't see you there. You having dinner too?"

Michal quickly invited herself to the table, sitting on the seat where Lucia was sitting earlier. "Oh, I just had dinner. Didn't eat much though. They don't have very edible food here..."

Kaito raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "You mean that they didn't have any _gourmet _edible food here. Well, this is the local summer festival, you know. They serve local dishes and some foreign cuisines that aren't exactly on the gourmet level, you know. What did you have for dinner then?"

"Oh... I just had a salad. That Hawaiian Barbecue place sure served really good salad!" Michal giggled softly, trying to act cute as always in front of the dashing surfer boy.

"You know, Michal, you need to have more meat in you. Sure, having a slim body would make you look attractive, but having a too slim body looked like you're a malnutritioned child from a poverty-stricken third world country, which makes you look very unhealthy."

"Oh Kaito, did you really have to go on that level?" Michal chuckled along, knowing she succeeded in making a conversation with the boy she refused to give up. "Really now. Anyway, I was wondering what you'll be doing right after the tournament week is over."

Kaito shrugged his arms. "Well, we got Sunday, which is our one and only day we prepare to go back to school the next day. Back to non-summer surfing season again, plus there's more surf meets and invitationals that I plan to go during fall and winter. Same hectic life as always."

"Oh, I see." Michal sighed. "I forgot... your school starts a week earlier than ours back in the South. I was wondering if we could like... get together... for old time's sake, you know?"

"Oh? When you mean by _get together_, you mean to say that I'm the only one invited?"

"Well, it would be lonely at home because while you guys start school the week after the tournament, Rihito is flying out to South Korea for an orchestra performance there and he'll be there for two weeks. Apparently the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra picked him to be the conductor and I don't go back to boarding school in two weeks, I got the entire week free."

Kaito still had a skeptical feeling regarding this invitation. "Wouldn't it be a lot more fun if there's more people? I mean, Coco, Noel, and Caren go to the same boarding school as you do, right? Why not invite your schoolmates too?"

"Are you kidding me?" Michal chuckled softly. "This year is Corina's--- Coco's--- last year of high school. She mentioned something about getting accepted in to a highly prestigious university. She's entering the holistic sports medicine program, you know. She's only got seven months left before she graduates, so she'll use the early week to cram study until she heads back down south that weekend. Noel and Caren will be back in the school swim team training again, as well as their water polo team too, so they're leaving on Monday after the tournament because of those early sports training. Taro is already a full-pledged school teacher hired by your school, so he stays here in Nijibe. Who am I going to hang out with when I go back? Who am I going to hang out with during the extra week? I can't stand being alone all couped up at home."

"Michal, I'm just saying that it'd be a lot better if you'd invite more than just one person for this small gathering. If you want I'll have the dudes and the girls come over too. If you can't stand being alone all couped up at home, then I can't stand being all couped up at a huge mansion with someone else in front of me. And what about your parents?"

Michal stared at Kaito curiously, wondering what he meant. "What about my parents?"

"I don't think they'll be okay with you being alone with a boy all couped up in your house. I know how parents are when it comes to teenage girls. Many of them don't actually trust me when I used to date, most especially that I've spent almost my entire life living alone with my brother with no adult supervision. Our uncles and aunts all live out of town and even out of the country. Gaito and I remained here in Nijibe so we can take care of all the family assets my parents purchased and built. If it weren't for the custody lawyers, we would've moved back to Hawaii and stayed with our grandparents. Rihito wouldn't be happy either if he found out that you're having a _gathering _with just you and me alone."

Michal sighed sadly, knowing that having Kaito alone to herself for one day would not make her parents or Rihito happy. "Well, what about Lucia? If you're so concerned about the parents of the girls you date, wouldn't you get a sweet girl like Lucia get in trouble with her parents too?"

Kaito gave a slight smirk, but tried not to show it in front of her. "Lucia? She's like me. Her parents died when she was a kid. She has an aunt and her two siblings. She's a lot luckier than I am though when it comes to family."

"Kaito, you still fail to explain to me what that girl Lucia Nanami has that I don't that got you so attracted to her!" Michal raised her voice slightly louder, which gained attention of those at the nearby tables. "Do you have an idea what some people were saying about her? Those Rainbow Pop Girls clique in your school... those crazy fan girls who kept stalking you until the end... and even a few of media reporters too. Her personal antics and even her background and upbringing too is just way out of your league. You deserve better, Kaito--- way better. I mean, you don't want to ruin your reputation by having her hanging around with you, would you? I'm just worried about you, Kaito..."

That moment, Lucia arrived with two styrofoam boxes containing the Hawaiian Barbecue plates on a tray. She overheard majority of the conversation, but had mixed feelings. She wondered how she would react or confront the one who just interrupted their date with something very negative. She always reminded herself to be a strong person on situations such as this and that she had to prove to herself that what other people say should not matter to her. While listening to the conversation, she found a way to face this problem.

"Worried? Which one are you worried about, Michal?" Kaito asked curiously. "Are you worried about me or my reputation? The problem with you and everyone else is that none of you know who I really am. Why do you think I feel reluctant every time you're around me? You're not interested me, Michal. You're only interested with my reputation and my accomplishments. The only media that I worry about when it comes to reputation are those from major publications like _Surfer Styles _magazine and ocean sports TV news and radio news. All the personality and celebrity-based media types? If you or any one of your little friends have a problem with the things I like to do then---"

"You don't belong in the surfing scene, Michal." Right then, their conversation was interrupted by none other than Kaito's special date. They found Lucia standing right in front of them across the table, dinner trays and two plastic containers of _Saimin _noodle soups, and all.

"Oh... hi, Lucia! How long have you been standing there?" Michal suddenly turned back in to her nice, sweet self.

"Long enough to hear what people like you think of me," Lucia gave a slight snicker on her face. "I know what you're trying to pull here, Michal, and to be honest with you, it's becoming a lot irritating."

Michal glared towards the blonde and gave a slight warning. "Listen, Lucia Nanami. Don't forget that you're a member of my brother's band. Say something very mean to me and I can get Rihito to kick you out of his band---"

"Okay, that's just extreme, Michal!" Kaito interrupted the two girls. "You seriously think you'd get Rihito to get rid of Lucia out of OC-5 just because his own sister has some hatred on her? You don't have that much experience interacting with other people, don't you?"

"It's not just your brother's band! We have a band name too, you know! We're the Oceanic Crib 5!" Lucia began her defensive response. "I mean with that kind of cheap shot against me, Michal, you don't know your brother very well either! This _Friday night band _at Pearl Waters was formed by your brother and _my _cousin, Taro Mitsuki. And as far as I know, not only that they're best friends, but Taro was Rihito's mentor too! Reality doesn't work that way. Just because Rihito has a lot more money than the rest of the band, doesn't mean that the band is his! Reality isn't always fair to everyone and you can't always get things your way. You already have what every girl dreamed of, but boys aren't items to be owned! I know you're in love with Kaito yourself, but with the way you're threatening Kaito with his hard-earned reputation, you need to know what the real meaning of love is."

Michal returned the defensive response with her own. "Just who do you think you are talking to me like that, Lucia Nanami? Just because Kaito gave you all the attention this entire summer... just because he chose you to be his tandem surfing partner... just because he asked you out on a date in this peasant summer festival... doesn't make you any more special!"

Lucia shook her head and sighed. "That's up to Kaito to judge, not me, Michal. To me, it doesn't matter what other people think of me. You can trash talk me however you want and whenever you want, but don't you dare speak ill of our band!" She tightened her fist right then, trying not to fall in to anger.

The younger Amagi fell silent at first, and then burst in to laughter. "You really are something, you know that, Miss Nanami? I have to admit, it puzzles me how my older brother chose the company of you and the rest of your silly band than his sister's own company. My parents? They chose the company of their business colleagues than the company of their own children. I'm just extra baggage to everyone--- including the one I've been in love with since my childhood. But then again, you're just like any other Kaito Doumoto fan girl I know of--- competing with all those girls just to get Kaito to notice you. Isn't that right, Lucia? Your little act of being a surfing expert to get all of the cutest surfer boys in the entire town, more specifically, our very own Kaito Doumoto? That was indeed very smart. You're just like any other _kook _all around the surfer-spot beaches in the world. Just admit it!"

Kaito, feeling with much chagrin building inside him, shook his head and interrupted. "Alright, Michal, that's enough!"

Lucia suddenly dropped the tray right on the table, not because she was shocked to hear the latter, but more of a feel of insult within her. "I never expected you to stoop this low, Michal Amagi. Me pretending to be a _surfing expert_? I just happen to be a huge surfing fan. There is a difference. If I were a surfing expert, wouldn't I be a surfer myself? And it's not because of Kaito that I became a surfing fan." She then gazed at Kaito and continued. "He's not the reason why I became a surfing fan. Not at all." Right then, Kaito caught her gaze and nodded in agreement.

She turned back to Michal and continued. "If you only spent some time with my family, you'd get to know us more. If not, you and Rihito should sit down and talk. Have you ever thought why Rihito decided to spend his summer at Pearl Waters ever since he started? It wasn't because he felt sorry for us or it's because Taro is his best friend. It was because he knew the _legends _of the Rainbowside and he'd like to have close relations as much as he can. Of course, he may have other reasons as to why he preferred staying with us this summer instead of spending his summer with you or the rest of your family back home. But I know for sure that Pearl Waters has a huge connection to the Rainbowside. And just to let you know, I'm not the only one who is a huge surfing fan. I share my surfing fandom with my siblings and Taro too. My sister Nicola was one of the greatest surfer girls in history and Hippo takes the most awesome surfing and ocean pictures the world has ever seen! I may not be a surfer altogether and being Kaito's tandem surfing partner was actually the first time that I have tried surfing. But when you are paired up with a topnotch surfer and form a competitive tandem surfing team, you need to have complete faith with each other in order to win."

Michal raised an eyebrow right at Lucia with her arms crossed. "And your point? What are you trying to point?"

"I'm pointing that no matter what Kaito decides what's best for him, from surfing to school to even having a girlfriend, I have nothing else but respect and friendship for him. Even if he ended up having a permanent girlfriend... even when he's engaged to that someone special... even when he gets married and have children... as long as Kaito is happy with his life and the decisions he's made, I have no regrets." Lucia lowered her head, knowing that tears were forming on her eyes. _I don't regret everything we've shared together, Kaito... I hope you believe me when I say this..._

"Lucia..." Kaito murmured his name softly and sighed afterwards. _I don't have any regrets either, Lucia._

"Michal! There you are!" Just as things were about to be prolonged, the three heard Rihito's voice calling out for his sister.

Michal softly growled to herself and turned to Rihito. "What?"

Rihito approached the table, facing Michal. "Why'd you run off like that? Didn't you realize how worried I'd be if you'd just run off like that?"

"I saw Kaito alone at this table and he needed company!" Michal made her own excuse while Kaito shook his head.

"Yeah--- I was alone at this table because Lucia was buying our dinner. And no, I didn't need company." Kaito clarified the situation.

Rihito frowned and turned to Lucia. "Sorry about all this. You two shouldn't be interrupted like that." He turned to Michal and said: "Why don't you apologize to both Kaito and Lucia for barging in like that on their first date?"

Michal reluctantly turned to the two and spoke: "I'm sorry. That was really rude of me. It won't happen again..."

Lucia slightly bowed to Michal, accepting her apology. "It's forgotten. We'll see you later at ten-thirty, right?"

"Yeah. Well... you two have fun." Michal waved at the two as Lucia returned the wave. The Amagis made their way out of the eatery, leaving Kaito and Lucia alone.

Lucia turned to Kaito and lowered her head. "I'm so sorry about all this---"

"No, it's not your fault, Lucia. You don't deserve all that bashing from Michal. She's not usually like that."

"I know but still... I wouldn't have thought that I'd be a problem to a lot of people who love and admire you, Kaito. But you have to believe me... about what I told her. I really mean what I said about my feelings for you. I treasure everything we have together even from the first time we spoke to each other. I'm not pretending that I'm a surfing fan, Kaito!"

Kaito patted on the empty chair next to him, inviting her to sit down. "I know you're not pretending. You know way too much about surfing to be a poser anyway. Plus your family has a long history with surfing too, just like mine."

Lucia gasped in shock to hear the latter. _Wait... does that mean that he knows that I'm... Leolani...? How did he know about my family? About Cole... and Tack and Tish Seahart being my parents...?_

"Hey, come on!" Kaito softly chuckled, noticing the slight teary eyes. "Stop thinking about what happened earlier, okay? We better eat or the food will get cold."

Lucia was silent at first, then nodded in agreement. "You're right. Let's eat!" The two placed their palms together with their gesture of _Itadakimasu_, then proceeded to eat.

An hour and a half was left before they had to meet back at the bus converter. Kaito and Lucia went through more game booths (and won very little prizes, but the latter was not important) and rode in a lot tamer, family-friendly rides as a result of what happened earlier on. As they continued to go through more booths and stations, the two stumbled upon another interesting station. The grand prize was another giant stuffed panda, but this time it had a red ribbon on the left ear.

"Ooh! That panda's so cute!" Lucia cheered happily, pointing at the display.

Kaito stared at the panda and raised an eyebrow. "It looks exactly the same as the panda I won for you at the high striker challenge!"

"Yeah, but it has a red bow with white polka dots on it!" Lucia pointed another fact.

"A panda's a panda whether it has a bow thing on the ear or not." Kaito gave as light frown.

"But I wanna do this new challenge! See, it's _Live Oldies Karaoke Challenge_!" She held Kaito by the wrist and gently dragged him to the station where there was a moderately long line and a huge stage were the contestants were singing a random _oldie song _appearing on screen at default. The performance was judged primarily on the notes and rhythm rather than the dynamic presentation of the singer. The rule stated that if it the randomly picked song was a duet that the singer and a friend would have to sing the song together if that person entered the booth with someone.

Kaito became suspicious once more, staring at the popularity of the booth. "Hm... I don't know..."

"Let me do this, Kaito, please!" Lucia exclaimed with a positive attitude in her eyes. "You know my singing abilities, right? And for once, give me a chance to show you that I can win a game and win you a prize too!"

"Well, the line is kind of long and we don't have a lot of time yet. I wanted to ride the ferris wheel and all... Plus, you don't have to win anything for me, Lucia. Let's just say... I got everything I've wished for."

"Kaito..." Lucia found her mind getting in to contemplative bliss mode with thoughts pouring in her mind. _Oh man... what did he mean by that? Was he... or is he... is he... going to confess to me tonight? Will he... become my... boyfriend... tonight?_ Before she ended up jumping in to conclusions, she shook her head immediately. "But... I want to sing for everyone present right now--- just to lift up the festival spirits... and you know..."

Kaito took Lucia gently by the hand and answered: "It's too crowded, Lucia." He then pointed the time on his cellphone to show her the curfew time. "Plus we only got less than two hours left before we head back. Don't worry about winning something for me."

"Aww... well... if you say so..." Lucia sighed sadly as Kaito returned the reaction with a smile.

"Let's go then." Kaito led the way to the giant ferris wheel, holding Lucia's hand continuously on their way.

Once they arrived at the ferris wheel line, they were lucky enough to arrive at a short line. When they stood at the end of the line, they were met by two more couples ahead of them. Gaito was the first to recognize the two. "Well, good to see you two here!"

"Yeah... same with you, Gaito." Kaito responded in return, feeling some uncertainty at his older twin brother's tone. "I'm assuming this ferris wheel ride will be your last ride before we head back to the bus converter."

"I think this is pretty much everybody's last ride. Take a look at the people at the front of the line." Rina mentioned more familiar people at the front of the line. Lucia moved her head ahead to see who it was.

"Hey--- it's Coco, Noel, and Caren... and Daichi and Kengo too..." Lucia murmured. "I guess they're all going to ride on the same cabin? How many people that can fit in one?"

"Six people," Masahiro answered briefly. "By the way, we heard you had a little run-in with Michal earlier at the eatery area. What the heck happened then?"

"Well, you see, I---" Lucia was about to respond when Kaito quickly interrupted.

"I don't want to talk about it..."

Masahiro raised both hands, showing he did not want to go any further. "Alright, Kaito. If you don't want to talk about it, then I'm pretty sure it wasn't very pleasant. I won't ask anymore."

Minutes passed and everyone at the end of the line had their chance to take a cabin per couple. Kaito and Lucia rode in a red-colored cabin with a white full moon and pastel yellow stars decoration on it. They sat across from each other to keep their cabin balanced and not to swing back and forth. As the wheel began to turn and were halfway up the air, Lucia felt a little chill around her bare shoulders.

"Wow... the night is getting chilly... and it's really quiet too..."

Kaito was silent in the beginning, then gazed at the girl across from him, and without realizing it, his cheeks blushed right then. "Are you cold, Lucia?"

"Well..." Lucia found herself blushing again, knowing the chill was beginning to dig deeper on her semi-bare shoulders. "I had no idea this summer night would be this chilly."

Kaito reached for his backpack again and took out a white long-sleeved polo shirt, neatly folded, and handed it to her. "I knew you'd wouldn't be that equipped, heh."

Lucia softly chuckled along. "Thanks, Kaito." She unfolded the shirt and noticed the label tag on the collar. "Wow... you always wear designer brands, don't you?"

"Not really. Relatives always gave me and Gaito designer brand stuff for our birthday. But I gotta admit, it's one of my favorite tops." Lucia slipped her arms through the sleeves, and due to the larger size, she folded the sleeve up to her wrists.

"Wow... this feels nice on my skin! I can see why it's your favorite!" Kaito smiled in response. Right then, Lucia snapped her fingers, remembering what she needed to do before she forgot. "Oh! Before I forget, I have something for you too!"

"Lucia, I told you before, you don't need to give me anything! I'm fine, really!"

"No, give me a chance--- just this once... please? It's very important to me."

"Alright. If it's that important to you, let's see it."

Lucia reached for her purse and took out a small sealed plastic bag. The bag was small enough to fit a collector card, which made Kaito a lot curious regarding the contents. "You know, ever since we partnered up for the tandem surfing contest, I thought it'd be really cool if we've got something that would represent who we are to the entire competition, you know?"

"You're not serious, are you?" Kaito chuckled in delight. "Dang, girl--- we're on a date and you still got the tournament in your mind?"

"Will you let me explain, Kaito?" Lucia frowned right then, which made the surfer boy soften his laughter.

"Sorry. Go ahead."

"Well, you see... during the first days that we started... hanging out with each other, you mentioned about your _competition bracelet_. I know you plan on wearing that when you go out there and ride the wild surf this week, but you know... it may not be enough for us to bring the best luck when it's our turn to ride out there, so I thought... why not _double up_ the power of luck? And so, would you give me your left wrist, Kaito?"

"My wrist? What for?"

"Just give me your wrist!" Lucia shrieked impatiently while Kaito chuckled in return.

"Jeez, didn't know you could be so demanding..." Kaito stretched out his arm so Lucia would be able to reach his wrist. She opened the small plastic bag and out came one intricately-sewn mix of blue, red, and white friendship bracelet and tied it snugly around his left wrist. "Whoa... what's this?" He lifted his wrist and stared at the new friendship bracelet. There was white text sewn at the center of the bracelet and a bright yellow crescent moon and two small yellow stars around it. "_Surfer Moon_, huh? Hey, this is pretty cool! Thanks!"

"It's our brand-new competition bracelet, Kaito! See?" Lucia cheered happily as she showed off hers, which was already worn around her left bracelet. Her version was a duplicate of what Kaito had on his wrist at that point with one small difference. "Underneath are your initials if you take a look at it. Like mine right here!" She gently flipped her bracelet to show the _L.N._ in there.

Kaito slowly flipped his own and found the _K.D._ sewn in white thread. "That would mean I can't just go to some bracelet maker and make a duplicate because of this..."

"It looks really good on you! Now we're really the official _Team Surfer Moon_!"

"Haha... yeah!" The two raised their wrists to show each other the bracelets around their wrists, chuckling softly at the same time. "So... you took the time to make these for us? Wow... I don't know what to say but... thank you."

"You know you're always welcome, Kaito." Lucia grinned, slightly squirming on her seat. "You're not required to wear that bracelet everyday--- only during tandem surfing competitions!"

"No way... I'm wearing it everyday!" Kaito winked, still gazing at his new friendship bracelet.

"Well--- that works too... heh... heh..."

"Are you...?"

Lucia stared at Kaito blankly, wondering what he meant. "Am I... what?"

"Are you wearing that bracelet everyday too?"

"Oh!" Lucia blushed once more and gave a quick nod. "Of course! I think it's the best-ever bracelet I've ever had!" As she continued to giggle to keep herself from getting nervous, thoughts began to appear in her mind. _I wonder why Kaito asked that question if I'm going to wear this bracelet everyday... I mean, if you think about it, it's like... wedding rings... where both husband and wife must always wear their rings at all times to show to the world that they're married... Oh man... what would people think if they see us with matching competition bracelets? They would seriously think that something special is going on between us... maybe some skeptics would even think that we're engaged to be married! Oh man, I can't believe I'm thinking about this! What if I'm dreaming right now and I wouldn't wake up, just because this moment is just wonderful._

"Yo... are you okay?" Immediately Lucia snapped out of her inner thoughts and faced the boy sitting across from her.

"Uh... yeah! I'm fine..."

"You got all quiet and all that. Something in your mind?"

Lucia almost jumped off to her seat and became weary. "I... well... yeah... but... nothing for you to worry about!" She smiled nervously at the concerned Kaito, knowing the boy would not buying her reaction.

"No need to be shy, Lucia. You can talk to me about it. You can talk to me about anything."

"Well..." Lucia began to ponder on how she was going to answer him. She knew that one of these days that she would have to let him know her true feelings for him. This moment was perfect for that chance, however, there was still something else that was preventing her from confessing. "I... I was thinking about what happened earlier with Michal..." _Darnit, Lucia! You're supposed to tell him that you're in love with him!_

Kaito sighed deeply and slightly lowered his head. "I already told you... don't think about what happened earlier."

"I'm not jealous or angry, Kaito. I'm actually worried about Michal." The boy slowly lifted his head towards her, letting her know that she was open to talk to him. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Michal has feelings for you too. It's like... an epidemic."

"Well," Kaito slightly chuckled at the thought. "Unfortunately, there's so many girls and there's one of me. I can only love just one, you know."

Lucia nodded, still keeping her cool composure without being too obvious. "I think Michal just needed some company, that's all. I mean, I don't know a lot about her family but..."

"It's one major disadvantage of being one of the wealthiest families in the world. You're so busy maintaining your riches that you end up forgetting the most important things in life. Family is one major important thing in a person's life. I don't know much about his parents either, but I do know they were my parents' friends as well--- in the _elite _world of Nijibe, that is."

"Maybe... well, maybe what Michal feels for you isn't true love. From the way she reacted at me... it was more of like... infatuation."

"Tell me about it." Kaito turned his head towards the window of the ferris wheel cabin, gazing at the dark starry sky, and continued. "I'm honored Rihito trusted me in keeping Michal company ever since childhood, but then as we grew up... she tried to change me in to someone I'm not. It's like I can never be myself whenever I'm with her--- or with any other girl."

"Any other girl?" Lucia wondered what he meant by that latter statement and swallowed nervously. "What do you mean...?"

"You know... those _one-week girlfriends_."

She nodded along and answered. "You're a good, kindhearted person, Kaito, when you want to be... that I know. It doesn't matter if you're the most popular boy in school or if you're the biggest loser... You're not afraid to be yourself if you're with someone you actually like. Sometimes it makes me wonder why all these girls who claim that you're their destiny... have expectations of you... aside from being true and always shower them with your love... I thought they declare that they love you because of who you are..."

"Thanks, Lucia." Kaito responded with a small smile on his face. "I really appreciate that."

"You're always welcome, you know!" Lucia gave a huge grin, followed by a soft chuckle. Right at that moment as Kaito gazed at the giggling Lucia, something else struck within him. He felt as if her facial expression was a lot more familiar than he thought. It was not from the first time they were put in the same class two years ago, but it was the type of gesture he remembered seeing and enjoying during his childhood.

"Lucia?"

The blonde girl stopped her giggling and gazed right back at him. "What is it, Kaito?"

"Well, you see... it's just that..." Kaito quickly cleared his throat and continued on. "I know we just started talking to each other for two months... but I've always had this feeling that we've known each other longer than just two months. I feel that we've met--- and spoke--- to each other in the past life or something..."

"Kaito... um... you know... I... feel... the... same way... about you too..."

Kaito quickly turned his head away, knowing that he could feel the slight blushing on his face. "I guess... maybe it didn't work out with the other girls I dated because... I guess... I've been waiting for someone like you to appear in my life."

Lucia also did the same, turning her head the opposite direction, gazing through the window. _Well, Kaito... I've been waiting for you my entire life... _"Thank you... I'm glad that I was able to come in to your life... I guess it's all fate's doing, you know?"

"Yeah. I guess." The two fell silent again, gazing through the windows with their backs at each other. Both were thinking of other things to talk about, but aside from the usual surfing and the tournament, they ran out of things to say with the exception of one thing.

"Kaito?" Lucia was the first to break the silence, now with her head turned to him.

"Yeah?" Kaito turned his head in response. "What?"

"You know... um... I've been... thinking... about... what's gonna happen after the tournament? I know we go back to school and all... but... with those popular kids that you Rainbowside surfer dudes associate with will be back... and then it'd be the same all over again. Rina and Masahiro are officially a couple now, but will they still be a couple once they're at school now?"

Kaito somehow sighed heavily in relief and answered: "What kind of a question is that? That was like the same question you asked me long time ago... about this stupid _summer friendship _thing you're babbling about. Masahiro always liked Rina from the beginning. Sure, he's like two years older than Rina, but I gotta admit he'd be the most mature boyfriend around. Why on earth would he just stop dating Rina just because they're back in school? He loves her... and I'm pretty sure she feels the same way for him." There was a pause for a few seconds, then he continued. "Then again, that makes me wonder. I'm wondering if Rina Touin will be showing up in school with the girls' uniform on since she's more of a lover than a fighter now..."

Lucia giggled right away. "You silly! Rina will always be Rina. I always say, Rina has the right to be who she wants to be as long as she stays true to herself! She still is one of my best friends, even if she's in love right now. Same with Hanon--- except she's not in love..."

"Lucia... it'd be really nice if we're in the same homeroom class again, which I'm pretty sure we will be." Kaito answered with a slight smile on his face. "What I'm trying to say is... I hope the seating arrangements change... so I can be closer to you instead of getting annoyed by Hanon sitting in front of me the last time."

"You're so mean, Kaito!" Lucia continued to laugh on. "But Hanon is a really good friend though."

"Lucia, this is coming from the guy who went out with her for a week. Her mouth is a lot more active than her heart. Who would survive life with a girlfriend with a motormouth? Seriously!"

"I can't answer that, Kaito. I'm not a guy, you know. But you know, not everyone is the same no matter how you look at it. The only problem is that every person wants to be someone they're not... just so they can be closer... or to have connections... to someone they've admired for a long time."

Kaito shrugged his arms. "I guess you got a point there."

The two ended the subject with chuckle, followed by another silence. Few moments later, Kaito shook his head and cleared his throat. Then, he began to break the silence again. "Lucia... there's... something I want to tell you."

Lucia's eyes brightened from out of the blue and lent her open ear. "What is it?"

"Look... I've been thinking about this for awhile, but I think... I... we... should..." Just as the surfer boy was to finish his statement, they felt the ferris wheel stopped. Both turned to the windows and saw the face of the ferris wheel operator, opening the cabin door. "Oh man..."

"Well then--- enjoyed the ride?" The operator greeted them as he helped Lucia down first.

"Very much. Thank you!" Lucia answered respectfully as the operator aided Kaito down to the ground afterwards. Kaito thanked the operator as the two walked out to the festival booths.

"Well... that was a waste of time..." Kaito said with a disappointed frown on his face.

"What do you mean? That was an enjoyable, relaxing ride!" Lucia responded with glee on her face.

"Well... that wasn't the reason why I wanted to ride that thing with you. I wanted to talk to you... well... I wanted to tell you what I planned... just before we touched the ground. But... I guess it can wait."

"We talk too much then..." Lucia answered with a soft chuckle. Kaito checked the time of his cellphone again.

"We got fifteen more minutes until ten-thirty. How about we get some souvenirs?"

"Souvenirs? But we don't need them--- all of Nijibe always come to the festival every summer! It's not like we're out of towners or something..."

"I mean--- _that_ souvenir." Kaito pointed his finger at a nearby photo booth where the last couple just exited.

"Oh.... _that _souvenir!" Lucia chuckled. "I can't believe I never thought of seeing a _purikura_ in the festival at all."

"Well? Let's go then." Kaito smiled and took her by the hand, leading her to the photo booth. With the controls outside, the two took out their wallets and realized that both intended to pay for the sticker picture souvenirs.

"Oh... uh..."

"You already paid for the food earlier. I'll pay this time."

Lucia shrugged. "Alright then. Suit yourself."

Kaito inserted a few coins in the booth as the screen accepted the payment. The two went inside the booth, where the screen in front of them gave some choices of graphic frames for their pictures. Many of them were rather cute and appealing to Lucia, but adding them to hers and Kaito's faces together did not suit them. "Man... you know, photo booths should be co-ed!" She complained with a frown on her face. "I mean, I think all of these frames look really cute but they don't look good with you. We need something more _macho_, you know?"

"You're a weirdo, you know that?" Kaito chuckled. "You and _macho _don't mix either. Here, I'll look for the frame." He began to browse through the frames when he spotted something that looks _co-ed_. "Well, what do you know..."

"What?" Lucia wondered and stared at the screen. "What are you looking at?"

"I like this one." Kaito pointed to a graphic where it had an ocean at the front and right behind it were a white moon, dark sky, bright stars, gray mountains, but most of all, an open stone cave.

_No... way... _Lucia's eyes batted in a startle with her mind beginning to reminisce the first time they met, spoke, and sang together during their childhood years seven years ago. But before she end up going out of control with her emotions, she replied instead: "Me too. I like this one. It's like... home... you know?"

"Yeah. Home." Kaito chose the particular frame and background as Lucia wrote something on the screen. Once she was finished, Kaito stared at the writing. "_K & L_? Girl, I think whoever we give these sticker pics to would obviously know that it's us?"

"I know, but as we grow older and then people reminisce of their younger days and they find a sticker picture of us, at least they'll remember our names!" Lucia made a quick excuse, knowing that was not the reason why she wrote that at the lower right corner.

Kaito still looked rather suspicious. "Right... like _K & L _is going to help them remember our names."

"Well, they should because K and L are right next to each other when you recite the alphabet! You know... A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L...?"

"Yeah, whatever." Kaito shrugged as he pressed the button to have the machine take three poses of themselves. "Okay... this thing's going to take a picture of us three times since that's how much I paid for."

"Cool!" Lucia cheered excitedly. "I know! Let's look _normal _when we take the first two pics, then we can do a _whack shot_ at the end!"

"What the hell is a _whack shot_?"

"You know... uhh... freestyle?"

"You could've just said _freestyle _instead of _whack shot_, Lucia. I don't even know what the hell a _whack shot _is!"

"Oh shut up already, Kaito! The machine's already making the countdown!"

After their three shots were completed, six copies--- two sheets per pose--- printed right outside the booth. Kaito took the prints and gave the second set to Lucia. "Wow! I... I think we look pretty good together in these shots--- especially the _whack_--- _freestyle _pose!"

"Er, I dunno... you looking like you're going to punch the camera with your tongue sticking out kinda scares me..."

"Well, that's what _freestyle _shots are for--- to look weird! I learned that from Hippo thanks to his photography classes, you know? And don't be mean! You don't look as weird!"

"Eh, whatever." The two made their way back to the booths again where they encounter Nicola and two younger girls with her. One of them was wearing a baseball cap and looking slightly pale.

"Well!" Nicola smirked at his sister and the surfer boy. "You came from the photo booth, did you?"

"Yup!" Lucia answered quickly. "Where are you going?"

"Same place where you were earlier, of course." Nicola answered with a smile. "Oh, by the way. These two girls are my new friends. This is Mamie and Momoko Matsumura. Hippo met them online through the _Surfer Styles _message board. Apparently, they're... they're Cole Seahart fans, especially this little one here."

"Oh! Nice to meet you!" Lucia responded and offered a handshake. "I'm Lucia---"

"You're Co—- Nicola's sister!" The leukemia-diagnosed, baseball cap-donning twelve-year-old Momoko Matsumura immediately answered. "I can tell because you and Nicola have the same eyes."

"We do?" Lucia chuckled. "I never noticed!"

Nicola shrugged. "I never noticed either. Well... um...this is Lucia and her friend, Kai---"

"The _kahuna _of Nijibe--- Kaito Doumoto!" Momoko answered again with a thumbs up. Kaito gave a slight smile as the two hi-fived.

"You know me!" Kaito chuckled.

"Dude! Any hardcore Nijibe surf scene fan knows you, Mr. D!" Momoko answered with a grin on her face.

"Well... Momoko is a major surfing fan, Mr. Doumoto..." Mamie answered with a grin. "She knows more about the sport and who's who than I am..."

"The sisters get to come with us to the S-Cube. They're special guests." Nicola noted to the two of their presence. "I just want little Momoko to enjoy her life at this moment as much as she can before she deteriorates..."

Both Kaito and Lucia reacted with worried expressions on their faces. "What's wrong with Momoko?" Lucia asked curiously.

Momoko stood in front of Nicola and older sister Mamie and answered confidently. "I'm terminally ill, Miss Lucia, but you know what, I'm feeling good right now. Of course, I'd feel super-extra good if the hospital would find me some dude or dudette who wouldn't mind lending a bit of their marrow stuff that matches mine. Then I'll be free from this dreaded disease... but it's not easy, you know?" She gazed up at the night sky and simply smiled. "No matter what God decides for me, I did pray to him to give me a few more years so I can hang out with the surfers and maybe when I'm healthy enough that I'd learn how to surf. At least I get to enjoy the first annual tournament before I go, you know?"

"You have Leukemia." Kaito identified the disease and sighed. "Well, that explains the baseball cap on your head."

"Yup. That would be it." Momoko nodded along as Mamie broke in to tears again. Nicola embraced the older sister as the younger girl continued. "Co--- Nicola--- called the local bone marrow foundation and they agreed to set up a bone marrow donor sign ups and stuff--- and all of these... just for me..."

Nicola continued to comfort Mamie as she answered. "Momoko has a lot of goals in life if she were living a normal, healthy life right now. She wants to be the next _Gorgeous Gidget_ of Nijibe one day, you know?"

Lucia also felt the sadness within her and answered. "I'll donate! I'll be the first to sign!"

"Lucia, you have to be eighteen or older to donate," Kaito reminded her immediately. "And with you being all frail and stuff I don't think you're the right candidate."

"What? Who says anything about me looking frail?" Lucia frowned, glaring at Kaito. "Every other girl I know of back in school says I'm fat!"

"Well, for us _dudes_, we consider your size frail... healthy, but you're not that _stocky_."

Lucia sighed and lowered her head. "I guess I'll have to eat more..."

Momoko nodded, giggling. "Thanks for the thought though, Miss Lucia! One day when you turn eighteen, at least you signing up to donate would definitely help save someone else's life. It may not be me, but someone who deserves to live longer."

"Well then!" Nicola interrupted immediately as she placed her hand on Momoko's shoulder. "Shall we take our pictures now?"

"Yeah!" Momoko cheered and noticed Mamie crying again. "Oh for heaven's sake, Mamie, stop that! We're at the fair! It's not like I'm gonna die soon--- I mean my leukemia isn't the worst kind and I just got diagnosed with it a few weeks ago. The doctor said it's possible that I get to live up to 20 more years with chemo and all that other medication stuff, but you know... I'd rather die of old age instead of leukemia."

"I'm sorry, Momoko... I just can't help it. I'll stop now." Mamie wiped off her tears and a smile appeared.

"Now come on, Sis! Let's take pictures!" Momoko held her sister by the hand and turned to Lucia and Kaito. "It's really awesome to meet you guys! See you later!"

"Bye!" Lucia waved at the three as Kaito remained smiling as he also waved. She turned to Kaito and sighed deeply as they made their way back to the parking lot where the bus converter was waiting for them. "Man... she's like... a few years younger than us and she's got that very strong aura within her... like she's not afraid to face death!"

"Your sister was right, you know." Kaito said with a smile on his face. "That kid would be an ideal _Gorgeous Gidget_. Girls like Momoko would be the ideal Rainbowside surfer girl if I were the one to pick."

"Yeah." Lucia nodded. "But you know, I think Momoko deserves to live long and die of old age instead of that sickness she's got. I wish there would be a lot of people who would sign up to donate."

"The tournament would be the best place to get donors." Kaito made his statement. "There will be people from all around the region who will be coming to this tournament, so Nijibe isn't the only town who will have a chance to donate. I'd be happy to sign up if I were only eighteen, but like you, I'm not qualified."

"Nicola will donate!" Lucia cheered. "Taro too--- and Rihito as well! And probably Coco and the Lake Twins too! Maybe Maki as well..."

"Well, let's just do whatever we can to support terminally ill patients like Momoko so they can have a chance to be part of the surf scenes, for example. I can tell through her eyes that she's got the drive to be a surfer one day."

"Right, Kaito!"

The two reached the parking lot, where some of the team members were already waiting. Hanon was the first to stop them and ran to them. "What's this?" Hanon shrieked with suspicion on her face.

"What's... what?" Lucia asked curiously.

"Kaito, why aren't you holding Lucia's hand, huh? I mean, you two should have confessed to each other already and you come back all being buddy-buddy and that? A lot are disappointed with both of you..." Hanon crossed her arms, shaking her head at the same time. Lucia found herself blushing in embarrassment and covered her face to hide herself.

"Uh, Hanon, I think you're mistaking Lucia and me for Rina and Masahiro. Remember, they're _Kaikane and Leolani_, right?" Kaito snickered in response.

"What on earth? Why are you taking this so lightly, especially when you're with---" Lucia shook her head and quickly covered Hanon's mouth.

"Uh... I think we're all tired and we all need sleep already... heh..." Lucia chuckled nervously, grinning right at Kaito.

Kaito shrugged. "Yeah. I'm beat, man. I think I'm gonna take a nap at the bedroom inside." Right then, he headed inside to lie down in the bed inside.

Lucia removed her mouth and glared at Hanon. "Hanon, you're supposed to keep quiet about my feelings for him! You almost ratted it out to him! Okay, so nothing really much happened at the fair, but we all had fun."

"Ugh... you know, it's all that girl Michal's fault. I heard from Rihito earlier today and she ruined your romantic mood! Ugh!"

"Hanon..." Lucia sighed. "Just let it go. Kaito and I had fun regardless, but I guess the one up above decided that tonight's not the right time for us. Let's all take a rest, okay? I'm gonna lie down a bit at the couch inside." She patted Hanon on the shoulder and went inside the bus converter, where she lied down on the sofa, resting.

"What--- what is wrong with you people?" Hanon shrieked, looking a lot more upset than ever. "Doesn't anyone want to fall in love anymore?!"

* * *

_**Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch **is © 2003 Pink Hanamori and Michiko Yokote. All songs used are © respected songwriters/owners. No copyright infringement intended._

_RATED T for the VERY mild language and slight adult situations._

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_

_**[CALLING ALL FELLOW MMPPP FANFIC WRITERS, READERS, & GENERAL MMPPP FANS!!] **Come and join my brand-new **MMPPP** fan community message board called **Pearl Waters**. The URL is **pearlwaters(dot)cambribus-magister(dot)net**. Any fanfic discussion, even discussion for **Ride the Wild Surf **fanfic, are all located there. It's kind of very quiet there and would really love to have some activity going on there. Bring your friends along, whether if they're MMPPP fans or simply want to join and meet new friends (while you keep your current ones) ^_^_

_#1 – **Surfing Magazine **and **Surfer Magazine –** two of the major (U.S.-based) magazines published around the world dedicated to the sport of surfing and occasionally skateboarding and snowboarding._

_#2 – **Kuromi Sisters** – **Kuromi **(_黒美_) literally translates as "black beauty." 'Nuff said._

_#3 – **Hibiscus** – If you recall the anime version of MMPPP, it's the flower Kaito and his dudes painted on the pink surfboard that was supposed to be his birthday gift for Lucia. After the devastating fire that destroyed the surfboard, he gave her a miniature keychain version of the surfboard--- **hibiscus **flower and all. In real life facts, it's the flower you would normally see on tropical areas on the world and "islander" women (from Hawaiians, Filipinos, Polynesians, etc.) wear on their ears. If you're Filipino, we have another name for this flower--- **Gumamela**._

_#4 – **Plumeria** – a tropical flower commonly used to make leis in Hawaii and in other Polynesian islands. The flower is also known for its very sweet smell, which was also used as a main ingredient to make cologne, perfume, scented body sprays, etc. Plumerias come in different colors, but yellow-white is the most common._

_#4 – **Flowers on the Ears** – In Hawaii and in other Polynesian islands, women wear a flower on their ears to indicate their marital status. If a woman wears a flower on her right ear, it indicates that she is single and looking. If a woman wears a flower on her left ear, it indicates that she is married or taken (ie., she has a boyfriend or a fiance)._

_#5 – **Puka Shell –** If you live in Hawaii or anywhere near tropical-esque beaches, you should know what this is. This is the top part of small cone shells that has a hole at the center. They are collected from the beaches where the ocean sweeps them forward and are used to create jewelry. You can find them anywhere at low, affordable wholesale prices._

_#6 – **High Striker –** also known as "strength test" or "strongman game." It's those "bell towers" where a person (usually male) is being tested to see how strong he is by slapping a rubber stump at the bottom with a mallet or hammer with all their might in order to give force to the puck that is raised to hit the bell at the top. High strikers exist around the world in fairs, festivals, carousel parks, and amusement parks, including Japan._

_#7 – **Itadakimasu! **- "I'm eating now! Thank you for this food!" Every Japanese would always say this expression before they take their first bite of their meal. It all applies to all meals--- breakfast, lunch, in-between snacks, dinner, and midnight snacks. You know the deal. I neglected mentioning this part in the past chapters, simply because it wasn't that important to mention anyway. But in case you Japanese buffs begin to complain, here it is._

_#8 – **Purikura** – It's what the Japanese call the photo booth. Sticker photo booths included._


End file.
